Canada's Trudeau Slammed Over "Black Justice" Proposal That Would Decriminalize Drugs, Empty Jails

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being slammed by conservatives over recommendations he seeks to implement from a standing committee on “black justice" in Canada.

The proposal will make crime worse in Canada, conservatives led by MP Jamil Jivani have argued. 

Jivani challenged Liberal Diversity Minister Kamal Khera at a heritage committee meeting over the recommendations in "A Roadmap for Transformative Change: Canada’s Black Justice Strategy", according to True North.

Jivani criticized the proposals as "radical," citing calls for a 30% reduction in incarceration over 10 years, decriminalizing a 30-day supply of hard drugs like cocaine, heroin, and meth, and cutting 25% of federal grants to police departments.

Jivani accused Khera of being the "DEI Minister" and asked if she supported such “radical criminal justice policies”.

Khera responded: “It would only be a Conservative that would be making a joke out of systemic racism (which as a result) have seen an over incarceration of black and Indigenous people in our criminal justice system. To be making a joke about that is disgraceful.”

The True North report says that in December 2021, Justice Minister Arif Virani was tasked with addressing systemic discrimination contributing to the overrepresentation of Black Canadians in the justice system. A 2020/21 Justice Canada report found that 9% of federal offenders were Black, though they make up only 4% of the population.

The Black Justice Strategy report, released in June and developed with input from 12 Black-led organizations, proposes measures like reducing Black and Indigenous incarceration by 50% by 2034, easing bail restrictions, repealing mandatory minimums, and providing a taxpayer-funded “safe supply” of drugs.

It also advocates for decriminalizing possession of a 30-day supply of controlled substances, including heroin, meth, and cocaine, and reallocating 25% of federal police grants to non-police organizations.

Virani called the report “historic” and essential for building a fairer justice system, but Jivani warned that its recommendations would lead to more crime and disorder, calling the strategy “appalling” in a July social media post.