Racial Profiling by Police in Canada

This document discusses the issue of racial profiling by police in Canada, including its causes, impact, and potential solutions. It explores the reasons behind racial profiling, such as poverty and poor education, and examines how it leads to discrimination. The document also highlights the findings of the Ontario Human Rights Commission's enquiry on racial profiling and provides recommendations to address the issue.

Running head: RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
Draft of Proposal: Racial Profiling by Police in Canada
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

2RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................4
1.1 overview................................................................................................................................4
1.2 Aims and Objective:..............................................................................................................4
1.3 Research Question:................................................................................................................4
1.4 Research Rationale:...............................................................................................................5
Chapter 2: Literature Review...........................................................................................................5
2.1 Enquiry by Ontario Human Rights Commission...................................................................5
2.2 Reasons behind racial policing..............................................................................................6
Chapter 3: Methodology..................................................................................................................6
3.1 Data Collection......................................................................................................................6
3.2 Data analysis..........................................................................................................................7
Chapter 4: Analysis of the Findings................................................................................................7
4.1 Overview................................................................................................................................7
4.2 Theme 1: Reasons behind racial profiling by the Police.......................................................8
4.3 Theme 2: Racial profiling amounting to discrimination........................................................8

3RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
Chapter 5: Probable outcome.......................................................................................................8

4RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 overview
Racial profiling by the Police is a reality in Canada. It is an age old custom going on for
ages in the country which has not been much talked about. The police authority being the
protector of morals and crime in the society has been a disappointment for racial profiling
individuals in terms of race (Cao, 2014). According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission,
black people are more subjected to be killed or injured by the Toronto Police officers (Weber &
Bowling, 2014). The Human Rights commission had launched an enquiry in context to the racial
profiling and anti-black discrimination by the police in Canada.
1.2 Aims and Objective:
The aim is to investigate the root cause of such racial profiling of the police and to find
out the measures or policies to prevent it.
The objective is:
 To investigate the reasons behind the racial profiling of the Police in Canada.
 To find out whether there are policies that safeguard individual from being profiled in
terms of race.
 To recommend certain measures to prevent the issue.
1.3 Research Question:
 Why individuals of colour are being profiled by the police?

5RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
 Is it necessary or is it simply discriminating?
 Are there legislative policies to safeguard individuals from being profiled in terms of
race?
 Can some measures be recommended to prevent it?
1.4 Research Rationale:
The research is significant in understanding the reasons behind the racial profiling of the
Police in Canada. The paper analyses whether such racial profiling leads to racial discrimination.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Enquiry by Ontario Human Rights Commission
According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission, black people are more subjected to
be killed or injured by the Toronto Police officers. The Human Rights commission had launched
an enquiry in context to the racial profiling and anti-black discrimination by the police in
Canada. The commission got hold of several investigation reports by the Ontario's police
watchdog, along with the reports of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU); both units watch over
the police authority and deals with cases that involves civilians and the police. According to the
report of the Commission, 7 out of 10 cases of shooting by police involved black people, which
included sexual assault by police, use of force, unwarranted and inappropriate searches, et cetera
("Black people more likely to be injured or killed by Toronto Police officers, report finds",
2019).

6RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
While, Ontario is becoming more racially vindicated, it is also becoming economically
stratified, for potential threats of terrorism and violence are focused on by the institutions. In
spite of the presence of the evidences of racial profiling, several people as well as authorities
deny of racial profiling and calls it an effective tool for collecting information, analysing the
risks and ensuring the safety of the citizens ("The existence of racial profiling", 2019).
2.2 Reasons behind racial policing
The Ontario Human Rights Commission researched on the proposed topic and found out
several reasons behind racial profiling of black people by the police, like poverty, poor education
and other backwardness in the community instigate them more to indulge in criminal activity to
earn a living (Owusu-Bempah & Wortley, 2014). In a survey of Oakville’s Black youth between
the ages of 13 to 24, it was found out that the adults mark them as ‘troublemaker’ based on
‘youthful indiscretions’ as compared to the white kids for the same things. It is also recorded that
people react differently to white and black youths even based on their clothing and choice of
music. White kids are considered to be going through a ‘phase’ while the black kids are seen as
potential criminals (Williams, 2006).
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.1 Data Collection
For the purpose of this study the researcher has made use of the Secondary data
collection method for collecting relevant data and information. Data and information has been
collected from the different secondary sources like books, peer reviewed journal articles,

7RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
government websites, official websites of organisations, important newspapers and some others
significant sources which are believed to be relevant and accurate (Reynolds et al., 2014).
3.2 Data analysis
As for the analysis part, the researcher has chosen Qualitative process for analysing the
collected information. It would help the researcher to find the qualitative value of the data and
information that has been collected. Qualitative data analysis comprise of non-numeric data that
can be collected from secondary as well as primary sources, like interview, audio and video
recordings, images, transcripts, textual documents, et cetera (Novikov & Novikov, 2013).
Chapter 4: Analysis of the Findings
4.1 Overview
In a broader sense it can be analysed that racial profiling is a type of racial stereotyping
as well as discrimination which has existed in the society for ages and it is exercised by
institutions like the education system, law enforcement agencies and the adjudication or the
criminal justice system. Various task forces, criminologists, social scientists and other academics
have researched on racial profiling with the help of different research methods. Some researchers
adopt qualitative research technique along with field observation for data collection and
subsequently data analysis; while some researcher opt for official records for collecting data and
quantitative research technique for analysing it later. Irrespective of the research methodology,
the various researches of the researchers have confirmed that the police authority does indulge in
racial profiling of the minorities and people of colour (James, 1998).

8RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
For the purpose for this study, the researcher would adopt the thematic analysis
technique based on qualitative data to analyse the collected data and information from the
various secondary sources based on qualitative data analysis process.
4.2 Theme 1: Reasons behind racial profiling by the Police
The various reasons as well as justifications behind the police’s profiling black people in
terms of their race and colour of the skin is analysed and discussed here. The Ontario Human
Rights Commission researched on the proposed topic and found out several reasons behind racial
profiling of black people by the police, like poverty, poor education and other backwardness in
the community instigate them more to indulge in criminal activity to earn a living.
4.3 Theme 2: Racial profiling amounting to discrimination
The report laid down by the Ontario Human Rights Commission addresses the issue
systematically pertaining to the Ontario law enforcement body as well as criminal justice system.
The report confirmed that the individuals of colour are not treated equally and are discriminated
racially by most institutions. The report also held that such discrimination is just limited to the
police authority only, but several other institution all over the country. Studies of different
researcher and scholars have proved that persons of different or unconventional race are subject
to racial profiling and it has been justified by ‘white people’ as well that they have experienced
racial discrimination towards black people and people of different ethnicity by the police
authority as well as different other institutions (Wortley, 2003).

9RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
Chapter 5: Probable outcome
Therefore, it can be assumed that the outcome of the research would justify the studies of
different researchers and scholars who claim that racial profiling by the police are based on
biased discrimination pertaining to the poor background of the black people.

10RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
References
Black people more likely to be injured or killed by Toronto Police officers, report finds. (2019).
Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-report-reveals-
racial-disparities-in-toronto-polices-use-of-force/
Cao, L. (2014). Aboriginal People and Confidence in the Police. Canadian Journal of
Criminology and Criminal Justice, 56(5), 499-525.
James, C., 1998. ‘Up to no good’: black on the streets and encountering police. Racism and
social inequality in Canada: Concepts, controversies and strategies of resistance,
pp.157-176.
Novikov, A. M., & Novikov, D. A. (2013). Research methodology: from philosophy of science
to research design. CRC Press.
Owusu-Bempah, A., & Wortley, S. (2014). Race, crime, and criminal justice in Canada. The
oxford handbook of ethnicity, crime and immigration, 283-320.
Reynolds, D., Creemers, B., Nesselrodt, P.S., Shaffer, E.C., Stringfield, S. and Teddlie, C. eds.,
2014. Advances in school effectiveness research and practice. Elsevier.
The existence of racial profiling. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/paying-price-
human-cost-racial-profiling/existence-racial-profiling

11RACIAL PROFILING BY POLICE IN CANADA
Weber, L., & Bowling, B. (Eds.). (2014). Stop and Search: Police Power in Global Context.
Routledge.
Wortley, S., 2003. Civilian governance and policing in a multicultural society: a discussion
paper. Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto.
Williams, C.A., 2006. Report of the Commission on Systemic Racism in the Ontario Criminal
Justice System.