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Racial profiling inquiry: Objectives (fact sheet)

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The Commission’s racial profiling inquiry initiative was undertaken in response to community concerns about the impact of profiling on members of their respective communities. The inquiry’s main objectives were to give individuals who had been subjected to profiling an opportunity to share those experiences and to show its effects on their families and communities. In doing so, the Commission hoped to raise public awareness of the harmful effects and the social costs of racial profiling.

What the inquiry did was:

  • respond to the concerns expressed from a broad range of communities about the impact of profiling;
  • look at the effects of this practice on individuals, families, communities and society as a whole; Hear about profiling experiences in a number of contexts including housing, services, education and private security, as described in the submissions received;
  • ensure that participants do not reveal names or other information that could identify specific individuals during any public hearing process; and
  • respect the privacy of all individuals.

What the inquiry did not do was:

  • investigate individual allegations of racial profiling;
  • focus on one type of profiling or target a particular system in society, e.g. police;
  • a statistical analysis or study;
  • set out to prove or disprove the existence of profiling; and
  • accept anonymous submissions.
  • The Commission’s Report entitled, Paying the price: The human cost of racial profiling is the end result and provides a more detailed account of its inquiry on racial profiling.