Premier vows to address ‘systemic racism’ as N.S. releases report on inquiry
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia has suffered from institutional racism, Premier Stephen McNeil acknowledged Friday as the government released a report outlining its role in an inquiry into decades of abuses at a former Halifax-area orphanage.
McNeil tabled the eight-page report in the legislature, saying the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children Restorative Inquiry represents an important opportunity to address the “legacy and impact of systemic racism and inequality in our province.”
“We embarked on this journey because we recognized we must do better,” said McNeil. “We need to understand our past fully so that we can begin to address what to do next to ensure a better future for African Nova Scotian children and their families.”
The report, by the inquiry’s Reflection and Action Task Group, summarizes the actions taken by the government leading up to and after the announcement of the inquiry in June 2015.