The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF; , ''FCRR'') is a

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

and

Crown corporation Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

responsible to foster racial harmony and cross-cultural understanding and help to eliminate racism in Canada. The foundation was officially opened in November 1997 as part of the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement. The Foundation is led by a

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

appointed by the federal government as selected by the

Governor in Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it refers to the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of app ...

by recommendations from the

Minister of Canadian Heritage The Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture is the minister of the Crown who heads Department of Canadian Heritage, Canadian Heritage, the department of the Government of Canada responsible for Canadian culture, culture, Media in Canada, medi ...

, currently

Steven Guilbeault Steven Guilbeault (; born June 9, 1970) is a Canadian politician and activist who has served as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture since 2025. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Party, Guilbeault has sat as a Member of Par ...

. (Previously, such advice came from the Minister for Multiculturalism, last held by

Jason Kenney Jason Thomas Kenney (born May 30, 1968) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta from 2019 until 2022, and the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) from 2017 until 2022. He also served as the member o ...

.) As an arms-length organization, the CRRF has Special NGO

Consultative Status The consultative status is a phrase that has been in use since the establishment of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations (Non-governmental organisation, NGOs) in Consultative Status with ...

with the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

History

In 1988, an agreement was reached between the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

and the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC), called the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement, which acknowledged that the treatment of

Japanese Canadians are Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of British Columbia, which hosts the largest Japanese community in the country with the majority of them living ...

during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

was unjust and violated principles of

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

. The federal government apologized on behalf of Canadians for such actions and provided compensation to those Japanese-Canadian families who were wronged. The NAJC also negotiated: CA$21,000 for each individual Japanese Canadian who had either been removed from the

British Columbia coast The British Columbia Coast, popularly referred to as the BC Coast or simply the Coast, is a geographic region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. As the entire western continental coastline of Canada ...

in 1942 or was alive in Canada prior to 1 April 1949 and remained alive at the time of the signing of the agreement; a $12 million contribution to aid Japanese Canadians in rebuilding destroyed communities; and a $24-million

endowment fund A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are ...

to establish what would become the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. The ''Canadian Race Relations Foundation Act'' (Bill C-63) received

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

on 1 February 1991 and proclaimed by the Government on 28 October 1996. The Foundation was officially opened in November 1997.

Current activities

* CRRF Roundtables: The CRRF holds a series of roundtables across Canada, engaging people with discussions on

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in th ...

and

multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...

in Canada. These events are open to the public. * We Are Canada: A photo project that focus on stories of community leaders associated with

visible minorities In Canada, a visible minority () is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada ...

and out-of-Québec

francophones The French language became an international language, the second international language alongside Latin, in the Middle Ages, "from the fourteenth century onwards". It was not by virtue of the power of the Kingdom of France: '"... until the end ...

. Thirty-one people were interviewed. * Community Mobilization Fund: A fund program by the CRRF that provides

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the U ...

from $5,000 to $20,000 for

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

projects across Canada. The grant's largest sponsor is Sun Life, who contributed $60,000. In 2020, following the

murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...

and the subsequent demonstrations, the CRRF received $300,000 in donations from various sources. * Awards: ** The Awards of Excellence are held biennially to highlight the '

best practice A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to alternatives because it tends to produce superior results. Best practices are used to achieve quality as an alternative to mandatory standards. Best practice ...

s' achievements of organizations. ** Established in 2003, the CRRF Award for Lifetime Achievement purposes to "acknowledge and honour individuals who promote the principles outlined in the ''Canadian Race Relations Foundation Act''." ** The Community Champion Special Award recognizes "exemplary Canadians who have made an outstanding contribution to their community." * Mobilizing municipalities: In 2010, the CRRF partnered with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to hold forums that were to focus on "Mobilizing Municipalities to Address Racism and Discrimination." * EDIT project: With the collaboration of Images Interculturelles and the CRRF, the Conseil des relations interculturelles of Quebec developed the EDIT project. The EDIT project is an

audit An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...

tool for organizations who desire to foster, stimulate, and increase their growth. The project uses a Human Resources participation point system for organizations to measure at various levels their business model, their

ethnocultural An ethnographic group or ethnocultural group is a group that has cultural traits that make it stand out from the larger ethnic group it is a part of. In other words, members of an ethnographic group will also consider themselves to be members of a ...

diversity management and equity capacity practices.

Canada Lecture

In 2010, the CRRF introduced Canada Lecture, an annual event inviting "accomplished Canadians to raise awareness and understanding of critical issues related to racism and racial discrimination and creating

social harmony Social harmony may refer to: * Group cohesiveness, the strength of bonds linking members of a social group to one another and to the group as a whole * The opposite of class conflict * Harmonious Society, a Chinese socioeconomic concept assoc ...

in our society." Previous lectures have included: * 2019: "Doing Immigration Differently" — delivered by Tareq Hadhad (founder, Peace by Chocolate) * 2018: "Contemporary Issues in Freedom of Expression" — delivered by Justice Russell Juriansz (

Ontario Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently mistakenly referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal) (ONCA is the abbreviation for its neutral citation) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode H ...

) * 2017: "Innovative Ideas - Solutions for Racism: Empathy" — delivered by panelists: Reuven Bulka (founder, president, & CEO, Kind Canada Genereux), Nation Cheung (director, youth initiatives,

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

), and Marie Wilson (commissioner,

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state ac ...

); moderated by Nouman Ashraf (assistant professor, Rotman School of Management) * 2016: "On Campus - Diversity and Unity" — presentations by academics: Robert Daum (

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

), Elke Winter (

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

), Mathieu Wade and Eric Forgues (

Université de Moncton The Université de Moncton is a Canadian French-language university in New Brunswick. It includes campuses in Edmundston, Moncton, and Shippagan. The university was founded in 1963 following the recommendations of the royal commission on hig ...

), and Sinziana Chira (

Mount Saint Vincent University Mount Saint Vincent University, often referred to as the Mount, is a public, primarily undergraduate, university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was established in 1873. Mount Saint Vincent offers undergraduate Arts, Science, Edu ...

)

Public service announcements

The CRRF is involved in the development of three 30-second

public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...

(PSA) television spots in 8 languages that have been broadcast on OMNI-TV since 25 February 2010, with production wholly funded by Rogers OMNI Television. The theme of these PSAs is to "see people for who they really are: Unite Against Racism Campaign." The eight languages used for the PSA includes

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...

, Polish, Portuguese,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

, and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

. According to Madeline Ziniak, National Vice President of Rogers OMNI Television, the "impact of making key

messages available to multilingual audiences is an important step towards building an inclusive and accepting Canadian society." She adds that, "OMNI is privileged to contribute, participate and make a difference in these aspirations." The PSAs are used in the largest multimedia anti-racism campaign in Canada.

Research projects

The CRRF undertakes research, collects data, and develops a national information base to further an understanding of the nature of racism and racial discrimination in Canada. As such, the Foundation has established a niche for research projects that are not traditionally funded by the federal government. The Foundation does not provide core funding to any organization but will support specific outreach/education initiatives. It has a program that provides funding of up to $7,500 for "Initiatives Against Racism" to support projects aimed at a broad public audience. Funding support for anti-racism initiatives is provided through the CRRF's "Research and Initiatives Against Racism" programs. The CRRF is also consulted by officers from the Multiculturalism program at the Department of Heritage Canada as a key community resource in the national effort to address racism. The CRRF also publishes a journal, titled ''Directions'', which publishes one research article per issue, providing "community-based, action-oriented research, commentary, and perspectives on eliminating racism and discrimination."

Organization

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation operates at

arm's length The arm's length principle (ALP) is the condition or the fact that the parties of a transaction are independent and on an equal footing. Such a transaction is known as an "arm's-length transaction". It is used specifically in contract law to ar ...

from the government and is registered as a

. It is led by a

and constitutes various staff members as well as volunteers. The foundation was partly founded by the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC), who negotiated a contribution of $12 million on behalf of its community. The

matched that contribution to create a $24 million

that would establish the CRRF.

Employees/volunteers

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation is administered by a board of directors consisting of a chair and up to eleven other directors appointed by the federal government. The selection process is coordinated by the Prime Minister's Office, based on recommendations by the

. As the CRRF operates at arms length from the government, its employees are not part of the

Federal Public Service The Federal Government of Belgium ( ; ; ) exercises executive power in the Kingdom of Belgium. It consists of ministers and secretaries of state ("junior", or deputy-ministers who do not sit in the Council of Ministers) drawn from the politi ...

. The CRRF hires staff from time-to-time, but has a small staff and therefore few hirings. The Foundation also takes student placements and volunteers on a case-by-case basis.

References

External links

*
National Film Board

Images Interculturelles (French)

Media Awareness
{{authority control Department of Canadian Heritage Federal departments and agencies of Canada Canadian federal Crown corporations Organizations based in Toronto Government agencies established in 1997 1997 establishments in Canada Anti-racism in Canada