Research Proposal: Racial Profiling in Canada

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Research Proposal: Racial Profiling in Canada
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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Introduction: Thesis Statement
Racial profiling by police is a racial discrimination that has been in practice for a long
time even though it is not talked about much in Canada. The police system of a modern
country is vested with the responsibility of patrolling and policing the immorality and crimes
committed in a society without being biased towards a race, colour of the skin, nationality or
even gender of the people of the community. However, the police authority in Canada is
often alleged for profiling offenders based on their race and colour of the skin, thereby giving
effect to racial discrimination. Weber and Bowling (2014) has mentioned that 'black' people
are targeted more by the police, giving rise to an increase number of injury or death caused
by the Toronto police officers, as per the report of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Such growing number of injury and death of black people in the hands of the police has led
the Human Rights Commission of Canada start enquiries pertaining to racial profiling and
discrimination by Canadian police (“Under suspicion: Concerns about racial profiling by
police”, 2020).
Research Question
Why do police especially profile individuals of colour more than the others? Is it a
necessary evil or simply discriminating racial communities? What is the legal framework and
legal authorities doing about it? Is it even considered as an issue in the Canadian society?
Aims and objectives
The aim for conducting this research is to find out the cause of racial profiling by the
police, thereby suggesting measures or recommendations to prevent it.
The objective of the research is:
 To find out the factors that aids racial profiling by the police in Canada

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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 To analyze the current regulatory framework that are meant to prevent racial
profiling and racial discrimination by the police
 To recommend measures to prevent racial profiling.
Research Rationale
A consolidated research on the issue of racial profiling by Canadian police is
necessary for understanding the reasons behind it, which would help to prevent it and
subsequently remove it completely from the society.
Literature Review
As per the reports of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, racial profiling is the
stereotyping people of a particular race, skin colour, ethnicity, religion, ancestry or place of
birth, all accommodation of these factors in terms of their nature, characteristics or activity
("Under suspicion: Concerns about racial profiling by police", 2020). A bias or suspicion
could be sensed towards a particular race as a habitual or probable offender, rather than
making a reasonable suspicion based on evidence. The police authority often justifies such
action as a need for greater scrutiny and public protection to maintain law and order in the
society. Law Enforcement Officials often assumes that African Canadians are more likely to
commit crime due their own past records or criminal history of a person associated to them;
however, the major reason behind such suspicion is the prevalence of poverty and illiteracy
within certain racial communities.
Meng (2017) explores police search practices in Toronto with the help of the recorded
information by the Toronto Police Service, when it was found that the number of stops and
arrests of black youths have significantly increased from 2003 to 2012, while the percentage
has decreased for white youths. The Toronto police service reports show that the number of
arrests of black youths are even more in the areas where white people decide. At city level,