City of Calgary unveils anti-racism strategy, but who is holding them accountable?

In June of 2020, we gathered over 70,000 signatures from Calgarians asking for the City of Calgary to address systemic racism. After three years, they have launched their anti-racism strategy.

The strategy is a good, safe start. However, the main aspect missing is what the Calgary Police Service will be doing to reform and address racism within their services. More than 60% of the people who came out to the public hearing spoke about experiencing racism from the Police. We have yet to hear from the Police on how they will hold themselves accountable.

Furthermore, overall accountability is also a concern. Making a strategy document is not enough. The City of Calgary needs to hold themselves accountable. We want to see an independent organization evaluate the City’s execution of the strategy and measurements. Governments should not be the ones measuring their own success, or funding partner organizations to measure it on their behalf.