Amid protests in Canada following the police-involved killing of George Floyd, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says 'we can't pretend that racism doesn't exist' in Canada.
OTTAWA -- Amid protests in Canada following the police-involved killing of George Floyd, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says "we can't pretend that racism doesn't exist" in Canada.
In Toronto, protesters have been demanding answers in the death of 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet, who fell from her apartment balcony in High Park while police were present."I hear you when you say that you are anxious and angry. When you say that this brings back painful experiences of racism that you've faced. I want you to know that I am listening, and that your government will always stand with you," Trudeau said.
"Obviously I support the rights of people to protest, to peacefully express their views and to speak out against things that they believe to be unjust, and I’ll always support the rights of people to do that peacefully and in respect of law." NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also held a press conference on Parliament Hill on Monday, during which he said that images and video of Floyd's killing were "chilling."
"We know that anti-Indigenous racism and deaths of Indigenous people at the hands of police is something far too common, so we have our own issues here in Canada and we can’t shy away from the anti-black racism that exists and the frustration that people hear and feel," Singh said. The prime minister was also pressed on his own history of anti-black racism. Three separate instances of him dressed in brownface or blackface emerged in September, 2019, prompting Trudeau to call his decision to wear the racist makeup "unacceptable."
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