A Roadmap for Canada’s Black Youth

December 4, 2020

The Empire Club of Canada Presents

A Roadmap for Canada’s Black Youth

Chairman: Antoinette Tummillo, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada

Moderator
Candies Kotchapaw, Executive Director, DYLOTT

Distinguished Guest Speakers
Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, Senator, Nova Scotia (East Preston)
Stephanie Dei, UN Women National Coordinator
Georgette Morris, Graduate Studies, Ethics and Public Affairs

Introduction
It is a great honour for me to be here at the Empire Club of Canada today, which is arguably the most famous and historically relevant speaker’s podium to have ever existed in Canada. It has offered its podium to such international luminaries as Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, the Dalai Lama, Indira Gandhi, and closer to home, from Pierre Trudeau to Justin Trudeau; literally generations of our great nation's leaders, alongside with those of the world's top international diplomats, heads of state, and business and thought leaders.

It is a real honour and distinct privilege to be invited to speak to the Empire Club of Canada, which has been welcoming international diplomats, leaders in business, and in science, and in politics. When they stand at that podium, they speak not only to the entire country, but they can speak to the entire world.

Welcome Address by Antoinette Tummillo, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada
Good afternoon, fellow directors, past presidents, members, and guests. Welcome to the 117th season of the Empire Club of Canada. My name is Antoinette Tummillo. I'm the president of the Empire Club, and your host for today's virtual event, Defining Recognition and Development under the UN Decade for People of African Descent and UN75 Roadmap for Canada's Black Youth. We have a very well-informed panel speaking to this today, which I will introduce in a few moments.

I want to take a moment to recognize our sponsors, who generously support the Empire Club and make these events possible. Our Lead Event Sponsor today is KPMG, and our Season Sponsors are the Canadian Bankers Association and Waste Connections of Canada. I also want to thank our Event Partner, VVC, and livemeeting.ca for webcasting today's event.

Now, I have a few logistical items to share with you before we get started. First, if you're finding your internet feed is slow, please see below and click the "Switch Streams" button. And don't hesitate to press the "Request for Help" button if you're experiencing technical difficulties. Our team will be happy to assist you.

It is now my pleasure to call this virtual meeting to order. 2020 has opened the eyes of many to the necessary changes needed throughout our country and the world. The Black community in Canada has faced centuries of systemic racism, and there is a strong call now more than ever to work together to stop the oppression. But what does it mean to be a young person within the Black community in Canada? What are the prospects for the future? Is the situation encouraging going forward? Have there been setbacks related to the pandemic? And how does this community differ from its US counterpart? There are a lot of questions that need answers. Now more than ever before, people are starting to think strategically and in long-term perspectives. This will hopefully provide more opportunities and options for young Black Canadians.

Our panel today will offer a vision for youth leadership in our country within the context of the Black communities. They'll discuss employment and employability prospects, education, and the urgency of intergenerational collaboration. Now, before we hear more, let me introduce our panel:

Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, Senator of Nova Scotia (East Preston). Dr. Thomas Bernard is a highly regarded social worker, educator, researcher, community activist, and advocate of social change. She has worked in mental health at the provincial level, in rural community practice at the municipal level, and since 1990, as a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work, where she has also served as a director for a decade. In 2016, she was appointed Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusiveness at Dalhousie University, and she is the first African-Nova Scotian to hold a tenure-track position at Dalhousie University and to be promoted to full professor. Dr. Thomas Bernard is also a founding member of the Association of Black Social Workers, which helps address the needs of marginalized citizens, especially those of African descent.

Stephanie Dei works for UN Women as a National Coordinator in Canada for the WE EMPOWER program, encouraging deeper action in both private and public sectors to advance women's economic empowerment in Canada. She is a non-executive director at the global frontier markets risk firm DaMina Advisors, and Vice-President for the Board of Organization of Women in International Trade, Toronto chapter. Stephanie holds a BA Honours in Political Science and Law from Carleton University and an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS University of London.

Georgette Morris is in the doctorate stream of graduate studies at Carleton University in Ethics and Public Affairs. She holds an Honours BA in Human Rights and Equity Studies, a BA in Social Sciences, and an MA in Public Policy Administration and Law, all from York University, as well as certificates in Law and Society, Public Policy Analysis, and Democratic Administration. Her primary research interests are in the area of labour, policy, equity, human rights, immigration, citizenship, government, political debate, public reason, and agenda setting. Georgette has experience working at all levels of government within a range of departments and ministries. Her aspirations include making political debate and access to what is said in parliament more accessible and understandable to citizens.

Candies Kotchapaw, welcome back! Candies, I think this is your third time with us this season? Third. There you go. Candies is the founder of the Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow Today project. The program serves the purpose of connecting participants of the program with strong mentors within the Black communities and non-racialized allies who have been successful at navigating systemic structures and creating access to available opportunities for marginalized people. Candies holds a master's and bachelor's degree in social work from York University and a diploma in Child and Youth Work from George Brown College. She is the recipient of the Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada awarded by Women of Influence Global, Top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women by co-authors the Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine, Dr. Denise O'Neil Green, and Donna Jones Simmons, and Top 21 New Founders to Watch by Future of Good in 2020.

Now, before we get started, I just want to remind everyone on this call that this is an interactive event. So, I encourage you to send your questions in, and Candies will make sure to have the panellists respond to them. So, Candies, over to you.

Candies Kotchapaw, Executive Director, DYLOTT
Thank you so much, Antoinette. It is such a pleasure and privilege to join each of you today, and to have this esteemed panel for this very timely discussion. So, without further delay, I'd like to just jump right in, and I'd like to open today's discussion by asking each of you to take 90 seconds to tell us about what you're working on currently in your different roles. So, Senator Bernard, why don't I start with you?

The Honourable Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, Senator, Nova Scotia (East Preston)
I was hoping you'd start with one of the younger women on the panel.

Candies Kotchapaw
Do you want me to?

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
Yes, would you mind?

Candies Kotchapaw
Absolutely.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
I have to just wrap my head around what I'm currently working on, because there are so many things. So...

Candies Kotchapaw
Sure.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
...I need to just narrow that down, briefly.

Candies Kotchapaw
Okay. Absolutely. So, Georgette, why don't we start with you, then?

Georgette Morris, Graduate Studies, Ethics and Public Affairs
Absolutely. So, currently, I am working on my research at Carleton University, I'm writing quite a bit now, and finishing up final classes, as well as I'm volunteering with Jaku Kombit, which is a Black-led organization here in Ottawa. Aside from that, I'm also working with the Social Sciences Humanity Research Council in programs, particularly the connection programs.

Candies Kotchapaw
Very good. Thank you. And Stephanie?

Stephanie Dei, UN Women National Coordinator
Hi, thank you so much, Candies, and thank you so much to the Empire Club of Canada for hosting us. So, as mentioned, I coordinate the WE EMPOWER program in Canada. So, since 2018, we've been very focused on advancing gender equality and women's economic empowerment across the G7 in the public sector, private sector, and civil society. I also support the Women's Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, and we have also been focusing on how to support Black women entrepreneurs, especially since the research shows us that they have been some of the most hardest-hit since COVID-19. So, we've been having some roundtables, and we are ramping up to do some more work supporting them in 2021. So, pretty much all things gender, all things women's empowerment, that's what I'm into. Thank you.

Candies Kotchapaw
Excellent. Thank you, Stephanie. And, Senator?

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
Thank you. And I'm really pleased to be on this panel with such amazing young women. I really appreciate all that you're doing. Let me share just briefly what I'm working on at the moment. So, you know, in my capacity as a senator, one of the things that I've been probably most focused on during the pandemic is actually bringing awareness to what I call the collision of the two pandemics: so, the pandemic of COVID, and the pandemic of anti-Black racism. And then intertwined with that, of course, is heightened awareness around the world about systemic racism, but also here in Canada. And so, a lot of the work in different spaces within parliament is really working on how do we take this moment, the Black Lives Matter moment, and ensure that it becomes a movement. So, a lot of my work has been focused there. But also, in Nova Scotia, I've been sort of busy on the ground as well, working with some colleagues around a particular research project, looking at the impact of COVID on intimate partner violence in the African-Nova Scotian community, and how we ensure that health and social services interventions are culturally responsive. I didn't plan to be involved in that work at that level, but here I am. And, you know, that's part of what I love doing. And another big piece that I'm working on is actually looking at employment equity and how we need to look at changes in the legislation to better position us. And for the work that we're going to be talking about today, I think that's, that's really timely. So, those are some highlights.

Candies Kotchapaw
Very good. Thank you. Thank you so much, Senator. And thank you, Stephanie and Georgette, for sharing, you know, giving us a preamble of the work that you're currently doing. So, today's discussion will be free-flowing, as we mentioned, covering topics relating to the current Canadian experience of Black talent in line with the United Nations' declared Decade for People of African Descent, as well as celebrating UN75. So, Senator Bernard, again, I'd like to start with you and ask you, what is your view of the current education and employment opportunities landscape for Black young people?

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
One of the things that I've seen just during the past seven or eight months is actually, because of the more global awareness of anti-Black racism and the push to ensure that all Black Lives Matter, I've seen many more opportunities sort of bubble to the surface for people of African descent. It's my sincere hope that those opportunities are not casual opportunities, but they're opportunities that really give space for people of African descent to develop their full potential in the career options of their choice. Educational opportunities are just so important, so critical to employment and employability. You can't talk about employment and employability without also talking about education. And so, part of what I see happening now are efforts aimed at addressing, seriously addressing, some of those barriers to education, which, therefore, then impact employment and employability. What we need is a convergence of systemic change, changes in those areas, but also the preparedness, so the work that we're doing in communities becomes that much more essential, so that we're preparing young people to take up these opportunities that will be there for them. This has to be more than a moment; it really has to be a movement.

Candies Kotchapaw
Absolutely, very, very important points that you made there, Senator. Thank you so much. And Georgette, can I ask you, also, to piggyback on the same question?

Georgette Morris
Absolutely, and I would strongly agree and echo the senator's response where there are many opportunities that I have seen come to the surface, both from an education perspective, within many different organizations, and my greatest hope is that they're not temporary, they're not casual, they're not precarious; that they're long-term, and that there's a true investment in the development of capabilities of individuals. Because essentially, having a temporary opportunity is not going to change the long-stemming issues that we have. A temporary fix is not a fix to a long systemic issue and problem that's prevalent as well as inherent in many organizations.

So, what I see now is a conscientious effort across many levels of society that wish to make change and add value and unpack issues and have these difficult conversations. And what I would say is that for Black young people, inclusive of those of African descent and Caribbean, that there are many opportunities out there. And it can sometimes feel overwhelming, but there are many organizations such as Dialogue, such as Jaku Kombit, that share these opportunities. So, I would strongly encourage the young people and youth of today to get in touch with organizations; there's many great opportunities. The other day, for example, I came across a very interesting opportunity to be part of senate for a day; there's many opportunities for young people. So, at this point, I would just tell everyone, you know, go online, be open to looking, join networks. Because there's so many opportunities and great organizations that are positioned, and that are willing to share the information. So, essentially, if you're willing to look, you'll definitely find many things. But I just hope that this continues.

Candies Kotchapaw
Absolutely. Thank you so much, Georgette, and 100% agree that, you know, there's a lot of opportunities starting to emerge. And, you know, the key piece is that they're not just around because there's so much of a spotlight being focused on Black issues or issues facing Black communities, but we hope that this is, you know, the work that is going on right now extends especially beyond the UN Decade and into, you know, many, many years to come. So, Stephanie, I'd like to bring you into the discussion, now, to talk about how can the UN Decade and UN75 be leveraged as opportunities to advance Black talent in Canada?

Stephanie Dei
For sure. I actually, before I get to that, I just wanted to add something on the previous question...

Candies Kotchapaw
Sure.

Stephanie Dei
...and that is for us to really consider that maybe it's time, also, for the private sector to bend and to cater to the youth and to women—I'm coming from a gender perspective, from a feminist perspective. And we know that Black women are underpaid, they're underrepresented in leadership positions. And it's not necessarily that they are not qualified; it's just that they have been held back by systemic barriers. And I like how the senator started talking about that sort of double COVID—excuse me if I got it wrong, but—you know, there was the COVID, and then there was Black Lives Matter. These two very big instances that happened in the world at the same time and made people pause and reflect. Working with UN Women, we are often encouraging companies to think about gender equality and women's empowerment. And when Black Lives Matter happened, there was a shift. And that shift was, as the senator referenced, to focus on anti-racism and discrimination in the workplace. And what we have been saying is that it's not either/or, it's not just gender, and it's not just anti-racism; that in fact, it's both. And really pushing that intersectional lens on the work that's happening, and really transforming diversity and inclusion culture, so that young people of different backgrounds, different races, they have those opportunities to grow and to lead amazing organizations.

The other thing I wanted to add on, in addition to that, is also thinking about education, but thinking about entrepreneurship education. Because we know the lever in terms of really creating generational wealth is through entrepreneurship. So, how are we arming our youth, and our minorities, and women, to really transcend their socioeconomic status by using entrepreneurship as one of those opportunities? This is not something that's common in our sort of public-school education, but there's a huge opportunity there that I think is overlooked.

In terms of the UN tools, for UN Women, we use the Women's Empowerment Principles. So, these were set up in 2010, and they really serve as a guide for businesses on how to empower women. We have more than four thousand, almost four thousand companies signed on. And that's sort of what I've been doing here in Canada; encouraging companies to sign on to the website, to use the Women's Empowerment Principles as a guide, as a framework, to create change through the organization. So, when we have, for instance, high-level leaders embrace gender equality, women's empowerment, anti-racism, we can see those changes ripple through the organization. And the WEPs, they take you through leadership, health and safety, supply chain. You know, again, touching on entrepreneurship, let's support some businesses that are owned by women or minorities, let's give them some opportunities, let's collect the data, let's report on progress to see where we are, where we want to go. These are tools that we can use. And these values, again, as well, from the UN, that we can use to guide our work in combating racism and bringing a coordinated approach across the public sector, private sector, civil society. So, these are just a few of my thoughts, and I'll hand back over to you, Candies.

Candies Kotchapaw
That's amazing, Stephanie. Absolutely. I love the thought process, you know, behind UN Women in that, you know, that intersectional lens is so important, right? But when you're talking about the idea of intergenerational wealth, or wealth that exists beyond the current person delivering the opportunity, this is something that is absent in a standard way from Black communities. And it is not because we don't have the ability to create wealth, and we don't have the ability to sustain wealth; it's that we are working from so far behind that it is difficult for us to build generational wealth, intergenerational wealth not show up now but in the years to come.

Stephanie Dei
And—go ahead, Senator.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
You go ahead first, Stephanie. Go ahead.

Stephanie Dei
It's, it's really just, you know, transforming our mind. You know, for so long we've been taught that you go to school, and you get a job, and that's just, you know, that's just what it is. But there's more than just going to school and getting a job....

Candies Kotchapaw
I can still hear you.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
Stephanie, were you finished?

Stephanie Dei
Yes, I think there was a bit of a delay. I was just, I was just going to make the point that it's important to see diverse women entrepreneurs, diverse entrepreneurs at a young age, so that minorities and youth can begin to envision themselves in those type of positions and believe that they can do it. Please, over to you, Senator.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
Thank you. Stephanie, I love to hear you talk about entrepreneurship, because it's vital. And when I think about your title, Defining Recognition and Development, what do they really mean? Part of development clearly is entrepreneurship, and how we do that work. And small businesses across the country, have been so impacted by COVID. Black businesses, in particular, are more likely to be smaller businesses, and they have many more barriers that they have to overcome just to stay in the game. And it's very, very challenging.

I think about my daughter and son-in-law who took early retirement from very successful careers; my son-in-law is in computer technology; my daughter's in social work leadership management in mental health. They took early retirement to start their own business at the age of 40. And they're still in business, but it's very, very challenging. And I hear from many Black business owners from across the country about how difficult it's been for them during COVID. And I think it's really important for us to, to, as we're talking about entrepreneurship, to really talk about what are those barriers? What are those barriers in terms of accessing credit? You know, there's no intergenerational wealth to access private credit; so, the systemic barriers in that whole system. But it's also the racism that business owners experience in conducting their businesses, and those are the pieces that we need to make sure that we're addressing. And my grandson is here, I'm here in Ontario because my daughter and son-in-law are small business owners, and I'm here helping with their two sons. It's part of what we're doing to try to keep us all as a family going forward together. But not every family has that kind of support system that they could do that.

Candies Kotchapaw
Absolutely. Absolutely, definitely, Senator Bernard. You know, I think, you know, all of us who are parents on this panel today understand what you're experiencing with your grandson. Myself, like, you know, I'm kind of locked away in the office, but my two girls are right outside the door, you know, waiting to come in and be on screen to work with me. But, nevertheless, you know, I'm very excited at the fact that we're focusing on the piece of recognition and development where we're not just saying to our Black youth or Black community members, you know, continue to try to go and find a job, right? That narrative has always been pushed on us. That's just what we do. However, the creativity that exists within Black communities begs us to be innovative and bold, and COVID in this nuanced way has opened up many doors for people to explore entrepreneurship as the next level of the labour market, right? Georgette, I want to open it up to you as well. Do you want to....

Georgette Morris
Yes, to follow up on the question?

Candies Kotchapaw
Yes.

Georgette Morris
Yes. And I would strongly agree with everything that's been said, because it's very important not only to have this mindset of this one stream kind of pathway to, you know, do the school thing and get a job, but to really be involved in the community and be involved in the different opportunities that are out there. Because small businesses, these are real people, these are real families, they're contributing to the economy. And it's very important if we really want to develop, I think, as a nation, as a community, as a society, as a province, as a state, it's imperative that we invest in small businesses, and that if there's any barriers that are present, that we remove those things, and that we sit down and deeply think about the ways in which these barriers prevent people from fully developing their capabilities.

I think of a quote by Toni Morrison that says, you know, she tells her students, "When you get these jobs that you've been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that now that you are free, you are to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else." And I look at that quote, and I resonate with it so deeply because, you know, when you get to these positions and when you develop yourself and your capabilities, the real job and the real work is to share that knowledge, and to really impact your community. And I challenge everyone to, you know, as you develop and as you grow, to give back, to take on a mentee, to impact the community. Because I can honestly say, a lot of the opportunities I've been given and that I've been aware of have come from people that have directly, you know, let me know what's out there and what's available.

And, you know, as a child, I participated in many programs with the city, in terms of summer camp, I met a lot of interesting people. And I remember very specifically, actually, there was a day that the federal government came, and they had a book, and it was called Youth Link. And this book had all the opportunities, such as MyExplore, many different opportunities for youth here in Canada. And I don't think they publish the book anymore; I believe it's online at youth.gc.ca. And that book had pages of resources that tell young people about the various things that we have right here in the city, in the province, in the country, and that we should be well aware of. So, I strongly urge everyone to develop themselves and their skills, and yes, achieve things academically, but also, participate in society. And part of that participation includes small businesses.

Candies Kotchapaw
Absolutely. Absolutely. And I like that the thought line that each of you have presented, in terms of making sure that there's space for small businesses in entrepreneurship, particularly. I'm wondering if you all can kind of take a minute to think about, you know, in addition to what is in development for small businesses, how can larger corporations facilitate entrepreneurship in recognition, again, of the UN Decade, but also recognizing how important it is to transition from the way the labour market is currently set up versus how COVID has really come in and changed how the labour market will be in the future?

Stephanie Dei
If I could just come in quickly on that, so, over the summer at UN Women, we were working very hard on trying to understand the experiences of women entrepreneurs during COVID-19. And we did a lot of research connecting with women's business associations across the G7, and we put together a tool which is available on our site—and I'm happy to share the link afterwards—that basically addressed how the public sector, the private sector, and the civil society can support women entrepreneurs during COVID-19 and through COVID-19, across five key themes, which are some of the barriers we mentioned for women entrepreneurs. And some of the stuff that we came up for with regards to the private sector, I mean, one of the main opportunities is in procurement and supply chain. In Canada, we have the Canadian Aboriginal Minority Supplier Council, we have WEConnect International, we have WBE. These are all organizations that are committed to giving businesses the opportunity to source from women-owned businesses or minority-owned businesses. I think often times, maybe businesses will feel like they don't even know where to go, you know, to find a minority-owned business or women-owned business. But these organizations, they are your answer. And we see some good practices from larger companies, for instance, like Ernst & Young or PNG, who will intentionally say that we are sourcing $500 million, $300 million for some of our corporate spend dedicated to women-owned businesses or minority-owned businesses. So, that for instance, definitely is a huge opportunity, I think, for the private sector to come in and really lift up women-owned or minority-owned businesses especially during this time.

Candies Kotchapaw
Stephanie, thank you so much. And Georgette, Senator Bernard, of course, this is open to you, as well, if you have any comments, there.

Georgette Morris
Yes, I would just jump in and say that, relating to small supply chains, you know, when there are developments happening and when there's construction and things like that, there has to be a conscientious effort to invest in these small businesses that are women-owned and that are owned by individuals from employment equity groups. There's been a lot of really interesting research that's been done abroad, specifically looking at in England as well as in Australia, that have special programs that, if a development is happening in a city, there's a process that has to transpire to ensure that small businesses know of the process and when something's going out to tender, when there is a call for a proposal. We can see many specific examples right here in the City of Toronto where, with various community benefits agreements and developments, it has to be at the forefront, it has to be intentionally done. And I think that with great organizations such as the United Nations that are advocating these things, more and more, we'll see these practices become the norm. That's where the real goal lies–ensuring that we don't necessarily need a special call, but these businesses will be considered at the forefront and from the beginning.

Candies Kotchapaw
Excellent. Excellent, Georgette, thank you.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
If I could speak to this and take the conversation in just a little different direction—and I'm sorry I keep coming back to COVID, but obviously it's top of mind. So, when I think about COVID, and I think about those large companies that were allowed to stay open, and I think about the overrepresentation of racialized women, poor women, newcomers who were in these essential employment sectors, and amongst the lowest paid, while these, some of these companies made more money because of COVID. But how were the women, especially, the people who were keeping those businesses open, keeping them going, and the lack of value, the lack of recognition, through their pain, is something we ought to be ashamed about in this country. The fact that, you know, some people, some large companies balk at the idea of increasing minimum wage for these people who are so essential—and we saw that through COVID. And once we're through COVID, once we're past the crisis, will we go back to the way things were, or will we begin to see things differently? Will, you know, CEOs of these major companies see things differently? Will they value these essential workers in a different way? And most importantly, through how we pay people.

Georgette Morris
If I could just add, there—sorry.

Candies Kotchapaw
No, go ahead.

Georgette Morris
Yeah, if I could just add that I strongly agree. And when we look at the many businesses that were allowed to stay open, and, you know, that were deemed essential, and that they were essential—the workers were essential, yet they were expendable. Because we didn't care. And we didn't, you know, we had temporary wage increases, but that was a temporary measure. And why is that temporary? If we, if we're honest with ourselves, and we look at, you know, the rate of pay of minimum wage and sustaining a good life. And, you know, good can be widely defined, but essentially, a comfortable life, and one that one is ought to have access to. And the way in which these individuals are working in these areas that we said are essential, that we need, that we cannot go without, yet we chose to completely absolve ourselves of any real conscious societal responsibility. And to me, that's problematic.

Candies Kotchapaw
Absolutely.

Stephanie Dei
And I think, even to go beyond that, actually, just thinking largely speaking about the workforce and the way that we work, the structure of work, which is very archaic if you think about it. And for a long time prior to COVID, we were talking about the future of work, and encouraging companies to change, and to have flexible work policies, and to support elder care, and child care, and all these things that they said they didn't have money for, they didn't have a budget for, they didn't have time for, and it wasn't a priority. And then COVID happened. And all of a sudden, everybody was on Zoom, everybody was working flexibly, everybody had the technology to continue to do the work, and everybody had their children or their grandmothers in their Zoom calls with them. And they understood it—and it just all of a sudden, it made sense. Like, oh, these are issues that we need to take seriously. And the budgets all of a sudden appeared, and the conversations that were just discussions somehow became reality. So, I am with you, Georgette, and Senator, and hoping that this is not just something of COVID, but this is something that we take into the future. And COVID has been great, in that it has sort of paused us in our time to reflect on the way things were working and not working, and how we want things to be in the future. And I'm really hoping that society as a whole will take the good, little bit of good that has come out of COVID, and run with it into 2021 and beyond.

Candies Kotchapaw
Yeah. Fantastic. And actually, that's a great segue to the next question, which is, you know, where do you see opportunities for intergenerational collaboration, thinking about all the different convergence of barriers, all the different convergence of issues that are coming up health-wise, you know, socioeconomically, all of those things. How can, from one generation to the next, how can we work together now to prepare for the future? Stephanie, I'll start with you.

Stephanie Dei
Sure. Well, at UN Women, we have a Generation Equality campaign. This was our multi-generational campaign. It got delayed a bit because of COVID, but we're still moving strong for 2021. And the Generation Equality campaign demands equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end to sexual harassment and all forms of violence against women and girls, healthcare services that respond to their needs, and equal participation in political life and decision-making in all areas of life. So, it's about having conversations, it's about being vocal, it's about talking about the things that we're talking about now. Anyone of any age, of any background, can get involved and can get active on this. We have social media kits and different ways that you can get involved in your community to have these types of conversations. But it's about saying that, you know, we haven't made—we've made some progress, of course, but we haven't made enough. And it's about being radical about the future, about gender equality, about women's empowerment. So, it's just an opportunity for us all to get involved, and to advocate, and to change some of the things that need to happen.

Candies Kotchapaw
Fantastic. Georgette?

Georgette Morris
Absolutely. So, there are a few things that I've thought about that potentially could contribute to this intergenerational collaboration. So, some of those things, you know, would have to include more collective networks. And what I mean by that is that we're not going to do this kind of exclusivity, it's about who you know—but we're trying to be whole and human with one another. So that means, you know, for example, if an organization has some positions coming up, develop the young people in your organization, have mentorship programs—and not just to say you have mentorship programs, but have real programs, and have two-way mentorship programs, because we can all learn from each other, there's things you bring to the table, there's things I bring to the table. So, we need to have this consistent, dynamic conversation that's, there's a real back-and-forth.

I had another thought about, you know, even when we were younger, you know, we had this "Take Your Child to Work Day." And I think we need to embrace that, but on a much larger scale. It could be "Take Your College to Work," you know, take somebody to work. Because you never know the extent of a role or what really transpires until you can actually be within it. So, I think it's great that we have that opportunity when we're young, but you just don't have that again after, I think it's perhaps grade six or seven, somewhere around there. So, you know, really embracing your opportunity. And I would challenge, again, like I said earlier, like anyone who's a leader in the organization or anything like that, to really, you know, sit down and sometimes think about, you know, what can be done, because sometimes it feels overwhelming. Right now, and like we've talked about, you know, we're in this, you know, double pandemic of COVID, of anti-Black racism. But, you know, there's, sometimes it feels like you can't do anything, and that feeling is a very hard feeling.

But there's small changes that we can make. And it could be something as simple as just having a coffee with somebody, having a 15-minute Zoom call, encouraging each other, because we are all in this together. And we know that COVID has revealed to us all the many inequities that are within our society. And if we really want to do the work, it starts with each of us. It's not just a one-sided thing. It's not one organization, it's not one person. It's all of us just doing a little bit, being more open, being more kind, and really having that compassion. And like Stephanie had noted earlier, all of a sudden, we're able to work from home, we're able to encompass elderly care, we're able to do all these things. So, for me, I would strongly say that just be human and be compassionate and understand that we're all in this. And if we can help somebody, let's do it, let's do it.

Candies Kotchapaw
Absolutely, I love that. I love that. Senator, do you want to add anything here on intergenerational collaboration?

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
As the elder here? Of course. So, I absolutely believe in Angela Davis's statement "We must always attempt to lift as we climb," and I also say we must lift as we lead. So, as we're engaging in our careers, in community, you know, in engaging in civil rights matters, as older people, we need to make sure we're bringing young people along with us. As an older person, I know personally that one of the things I have to really work at is making sure that I'm creating space for young people to really have a voice. And so, what does that mean for me? It means that sometimes I have to work at really being quiet, I have to work at really listening, I have to work at really making this space authentic space and not tokenistic ageism space, right? Ageism goes two ways. You know, we have ageism on the side of older people, but we also have it on the side of younger people—this notion of, oh, they just go to school, what do they know? And so, being open to embracing what young people can bring to a conversation, to a discussion, to an organization, and trying to make sure that we bring those voices in.

A message I would have to young people would be don't be quick to send us out to pasture. And I see, I've seen that happen, you know. I've seen, I've seen a dismissing of people just because they're of a certain age and vintage. And so, I think it's a requirement of being open on both sides and, of the age spectrum, all sides of the age spectrum, and recognizing that we all have some work to do in making sure that we are authentically listening, and engaging, and embracing, and that all the voices matter. And my grandsons remind me every single day that I'm getting old. But they also remind me that I'm staying young because I'm with them.

Candies Kotchapaw
Yeah, yes, definitely.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
I get this message from them every day. So, I consider myself very lucky that I have that.

Candies Kotchapaw
Very good. Thank you, Senator. And absolutely, you know, one of the points that I'll share here from personal experience is, actually, that Senator Bernard has created space for me in terms of, you know, even at the point where DYLOTT was still in development, Senator Bernard saw me as a young leader and really took me under her wings and, and, you know, gave me the opportunity to meet some influential people, as well to explore, you know, what developing a program that supports Black youth, what does that look like? So, I was really honoured, of course, to have that relationship with her. And I'm, and I'm seeing more and more where, you know, senators across the spectrum are looking at how do we work with younger people. And, and I think that's one of the essential pieces, as you mentioned, Georgette and Stephanie, one of the essential pieces of, of keeping the conversation going when you're having that two-way dialogue between, between our history, our present, and our future. I think that's, that's really important to have. So, I'm going to have, just dive into the last question, we have about a minute left before I take some audience questions. I want to pose this first question to Senator Bernard and give you all an opportunity, as well, to answer. So, how can Canadian Black young people learn from and leverage the social justice movement that caused structural change, such as the election of the first Black and South Asian woman to become Vice-President in the United States. Senator Bernard?

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
I think what needs to happen is sort of that critical reflection and critical analysis. And I see it, I would even take a step back and look the behind sort of where we are in this present moment. And I remember—I guess it's 12 years ago, now—when President Obama was elected. And there was this worldwide kind of conversation happening because, you know, the first Black President was elected in America, you know, the quote-unquote "greatest," one of the greatest countries in the world, that somehow we were now in a post-racial society. And I think that we need to do a critical analysis of the Obama years, and then the post-Obama years, and now where we are now, and how we position for the future so that the mistakes that were made, and the assumptions that were made about this post-racial era—and some of us remain silent around some of those discussions about us being in a post-racial era. And it enables the poison of racism to just eat away at some of the systemic changes, some of the movements that we had already, some of the successes, some of the achievements were eroded and eroded and eroded and eroded. And to this point of such the violence of racism, and the impact of racism has become so much more visible now.

And so, the election of the first Black woman as a Vice-President—Black and South Asian—we need to look at that in a more holistic, bring a more holistic analysis to that. But also, to look at what else we need to be doing? Because the change isn't just happening with the President and the Vice-President of the United States. What does any of that, what does any of that mean for us in Canada? What does any of that mean for us in the world? And what does that mean for young Black Canadians, youth who are in school, who are positioning themselves for their futures? How do we take that, take this moment, and work it into a movement to get to those systemic changes? And what part do we have, what part do we, do we all have to play? And sometimes we say, well, you know, that's a leadership issue, and sometimes we say, well, it's a grassroots movement issue. I say it's not an either or but a both and.

Candies Kotchapaw
Yeah.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
There needs that political will from those in leadership positions. But there also needs to be a groundswell of a movement on the ground, working at these issues, and influencing decision-makers in the best ways that we know how to do.

QUESTION & ANSWER

Candies Kotchapaw
Agreed. Absolutely. Thank you, Senator, for sharing that. I would love to engage both Georgette and Stephanie on this question; however, I'm noting that we are out of time, and I do want to give the audience an opportunity to ask some questions. So, you know, we hope to continue this discussion. Nevertheless, we have a first question from the audience coming in. This is from Jeby, and I think it's just open to everyone, so: Black communities and Brown minority women and men have been deprived. Does the Canadian government have any plan for marginalized Black committees along with Brown committees? If so, what are they? I'm going to presume I can ask this question to the Senator first, and anyone else, Georgette and/or Stephanie, can pick up on it as well.

Wanda Thomas Bernard
I would direct the person to look at the government's anti-racism secretariat, have a look and see what that secretariat is doing, and to see if you have questions. I think there's space within that work for the community to engage with the secretariat. And I encourage more Black and Brown Canadians to do so.

Candies Kotchapaw
Thank you, Senator. Stephanie or Georgette, do you want to take that on as well? Okay. Sorry, Stephanie.

Stephanie Dei
No. I mean, just building on the Senator, I think that, again, it's the timing, you know, there's some kairos moments. And this is one of those kairos moments where people are listening to Black voices, and we then have that responsibility to speak up. And so, I think that there's nothing that we cannot achieve if we don't try. The Senator gave the example of the anti-racism secretariat, but even if you get in touch with your local MP, I'm sure that they're listening now. Their ears are wide open. Anyone is willing to engage us, provided we are coming with some tangible and reasonable suggestions on what we need and what we think needs to happen in our community. So, like, strike now.

Candies Kotchapaw
That's correct. That's great. And then, question two, just moving along quickly here, we have Michael. He says: Senator Bernard spoke to the opportunity to push for stronger employment equity legislation federally, as well as provincially, territorially, and municipally, frameworks that are restored, comprehensive, expanded; Indigenous peoples, People of Colour, women, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals. So, as we, as we build back better, how can we realize this critical policy objective by adding employment equity consistent obligations and confidentiality to all economic recovery? Sorry, there's more to this question, but I'm just recognizing time. So, I'm going to just read that last part. As we build back better, how can we realize this critical policy objective by adding employment equity or consistent obligation? So, they've asked the question but also given some answers. But how would you comment on this, the idea of building back better? How do we position ourselves, specifically relating to Black issues in Canada?

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
Would either of you like to speak to that?

Georgette Morris
Yeah, I could, I think I can start off. I would say that, when it comes to building back better, that we remain open and we have continuous conversations. Not conversations that stop at one level, or stop at one aspect of development, or a particular phase. So, I would say that it's imperative to continue having the conversations and truly engage citizens. Because this is a time of public reason, this is a time of, you know, public debate, and we need to ensure that we're hearing all the voices. And there's many ways to participate, like Stephanie has said, in terms of reaching out to your MP, reaching out to your Member of Provincial Parliament, reaching out to your city councillor. You know, as a citizen living in the country, you should know who these individuals are, respective of where you live, and you should feel comfortable engaging with them. And I, they're very responsive, I've had many engagements with them. And they're very nice people, and they're very attentive, and they want to hear from people; they want the, you know, these are the people they represent. They want to hear. And, you know, often, I think that when we think about building back better, we have to take in consideration building back better doesn't just mean in one sector or one area: it's an all-inclusive approach. So, that may mean looking at something and saying, you know what? That's not, that's not the best way to do that, that no longer works—the traditional nine-to-five, let's be more open, if somebody wants to work later, earlier, whatever that looks like. Because again, we're all in this together. So, it needs to be a very integrated approach that is multi-dimensional.

The Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard
If I, I could just add a couple of points. In the building back better, we've, we've heard the analysis is really clear that it needs to bring a feminist lens. There's a, there's a widespread recognition of how COVID has impacted women, and, and, you know, some conversations, some analysts are saying it's setting back the women's agenda generations, really. And if that's happening for women, rest assured that for racialized people in general, for Black people in particular, you know, magnify that two or three times. So, when I think about building back better, and I think about the feminism, and I think about the LGBTQ+, you need to make sure that the anti-Black racism lens, the systemic racism lens, is a forethought and not an afterthought. So, it needs to be fully integrated into all of the development and planning for building back better. And I absolutely agree with Georgette, it needs to be across all sectors. And you know, we don't do enough advocacy. We do not do enough advocacy. And I'm always shocked when I ask people, well, who's your MLA or who's your MP? And they say, I don't know. They don't have a clue. And so, you need to know who these people are, because they are your representatives. And you need to engage in those conversations, send those emails, ask those questions, not just during election campaigns.

Candies Kotchapaw
Definitely, definitely. Oh, my goodness, this is such an incredibly important discussion to have, and, and one, of course, that merits more than one sitting, right? But nevertheless, I want to thank you, Senator Bernard, Stephanie, and Georgette, for spending your Friday afternoon with us. And thank you to the audience members, as well, for your questions, and for interacting with us. There are more questions here, but unfortunately, we are out of time for this session. So again, I'd like to extend my gratitude to each of you for joining me this afternoon to have this, this very, very important discussion. And I hope that we get a chance to do it again. So, for now, I'll actually turn it back over to Antoinette. Thank you.

Note of Appreciation and Concluding Remarks by Antoinette Tummillo
Thank you, Candies. So many great takeaways from the discussion. You know, the things that really resonated with me were we’ve got to listen, we’ve got to mentor, and we’ve got to be there. I love the comment, Senator, on ageism. You’re right, we have a voice. And the whole thing about the feminist lens, absolutely, so critical, and we’ve been having a lot of discussions at the Empire Club on that. And I couldn’t agree more, we should all be more worried about essential workers than we have been, and nurturing them, helping them, and making sure they’re paid properly. I get a little emotional about this. We’re having our Nation Builder of the Year Award, and we are awarding it to frontline workers—and that’s all frontline workers. We didn’t pick one because there are too many, and they’re all over the place, and they touch our lives in so many ways. So, that really resonated with me as well. So, I want to thank you for taking the time, this was a great discussion, and one that’s got to keep going, and one that we’ve got to keep all being involved in. As a white woman, we want to help too, okay? It’s important that—it takes a village to solve these problems, and that village is a cross-section. Everybody has to be involved. So, thank you.

I do want to take a moment to tell you about our upcoming events. On December 7th, we’ve got Rahul Bhardwaj from the Institute of Corporate Directors coming to speak with us. On December 8th, we have a really interesting panel talking about Small Business Success Post-COVID—everybody really wants to hear about that. And I just spoke about our Nation Builder Award. We’re super excited about that event. It’s our signature event. It’s on December 10th at noon. We’ve got a roster of VIP celebrities, but the thing that is more touching than everything is the testimonials from people that we’ve got to also share with our audience. So, please join us. We still have some time to, for people to submit a testimonial for a frontline worker at #NationBuilderHero of your choice. We are doing a random draw—because, again, how do you pick? And it’s a chance of winning five thousand dollars. So, please make your submissions, we want to hear those stories and share them with our audience. Registration for all these events is free. So, I encourage you all to check it out on our site, and I hope you can join us. This meeting is now adjourned, and thank you for joining us today.