By LINCOLN DEPRADINE
A National Institute for People of African Descent (NIPAD) is being established in Canada.
It’s a $7.25 million project funded by the federal Liberal Party government headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“The National Institute is the first of its kind in Canada and marks an important step in fighting racism and discrimination while celebrating the contributions of Black Canadians to the country we love,” said Ontario MP Kamal Khera, who made the funding announcement at a gathering August 30 at the Arrow Road headquarters of the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA).
The announcement was welcomed by community representatives, including officials of CAFCAN, formerly the social services arm of the JCA, who joined Khera at the event.
The funding for NIPAD will be provided over three years to CAFCAN.
The mission of CAFCAN, which was incorporated in 2015, is to provide services “that enrich the lives of the African, Caribbean and Diaspora communities in the Greater Toronto Area”.
CAFCAN, in a statement from its executive director Floydeen Charles-Fridal, and chair of the board of directors, Bola Adenuga, said it was “humbled to lead – on behalf of diverse Black communities across Canada – the foundational phase for the National Institute for People of African Descent”.
Their “call to action”, they said, is “advancing the learning from the feasibility study and related recommendations, the community vision of a Canada-wide organization that is grounded in Africentric principles and values, focused on research and policy and is proactive and responsive to key priorities such as education, health and well-being and justice”.
CAFCAN, said Adenuga and Charles-Fridal, looks forward to “partnering and collaborating with all who are committed to ‘crossing the river together’, so that this historical and legacy initiative is established and sustained in perpetuity”.
The NIPAD investment is being channeled through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI), and also builds on the Canadian government’s endorsement of 2015 to 2024 as the United Nations (UN) International Decade for People of African Descent.
Last April, Canada announced its commitment to support the call for a second international decade.
In addition, the government has committed up to $872 million to Black-focused initiatives, including $175 million that has been invested since 2019 through the SBCCI to celebrate, share knowledge and build capacity in Canada’s Black communities.
In its 2023 budget, the Liberals committed an additional $25 million for 2024-2025, extending the SBCCI for an additional year and bringing the total commitment up to $200 million.
Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, and MP Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, were also in Toronto in June to announce $9.1 million in grants for a Black-led philanthropic endowment fund to be administered by the Foundation for Black Communities.
The fund is supporting non-profit organizations, which are led by and are serving people of African descent, to increase their capacity, to combat anti-Black racism, and to improve social and economic outcomes for Black communities across Canada.
“Our government fundamentally believes that when we include people, Canada wins,” said Khera, who is the MP for Brampton West.
“CAFCAN is doing amazing work to support Canadians of African descent and, through the institute, they will have an even greater impact on ensuring Black voices are heard in the policies and programs we put forward.”
The government and CAFCAN, as project partners, promise that NIPAD “will support Canada’s efforts to tackle racism and discrimination by serving as a centre for research, knowledge and community engagement. It aims to improve the social and economic well-being of Black Canadians and their communities and to contribute to the development of policies and programs from a Black-centric perspective”.
They also describe the establishing of the institute as furthering the federal government’s “commitment to the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent and reaffirms its efforts to build a fairer, more diverse and inclusive country, with meaningful actions that ensure all Canadians can fully participate in Canadian society”.
The funding to CAFCAN for setting up the National Institute for People of African Descent is a “historic opportunity”, said Judy Sgro, Liberal MP for Humber River-Black Creek.
“Congratulations to CAFCAN,” said Sgro. “This initiative is a crucial step toward fostering greater equity and inclusion by providing a dedicated platform to research, advocate for and implement solutions to the systemic issues that disproportionately affect Black communities.”
Sgro also referred to the funding allocation for NIPAD as representing “a major advance in acknowledging and addressing the numerous disparities and distinct challenges experienced by Black individuals in Canada”.
As a Black community responsible for the National Institute, “we must be strategists, thinkers and doers who operate on a high level, drawing on the wisdom of our ancestors to create lasting change”, said CAFCAN’s Charles-Fridal.
