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October 29, 2024
Response to the Ruck Report, “Regaining Trust”.
The African Nova Scotia Justice Institute serves as a justice-focused organization that is proactive and reactive in its response to the pervasive institutional racism experienced by Black people and African Nova Scotians in their interactions with policing, the courts, prisons and related systems.
Our mandate is to address issues of systemic racism in the justice system that negatively impact Black and African Nova Scotians while ensuring fair, legal and constitutional treatment of all Black and African Nova Scotians.
On behalf of the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute (ANSJI), we acknowledge and support the 21 recommendations outlined in this report as a significant step toward addressing systemic discrimination within Nova Scotia's legal community. The focus on actionable, specific, and measurable outcomes is a welcome sign of the commitment to equity and justice. We also recognize the important strides the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society (NSBS) has made in the past months, which underscore a genuine effort to drive change.
However, several of the recommendations, while broad by design, could risk leaving critical actions undefined, potentially slowing the momentum for meaningful reform. The need for clarity and explicit, detailed steps by the Implementation Lead cannot be overstated if we are to ensure that these measures have a real and lasting impact.
Despite these concerns, we remain hopeful. With sustained commitment and accountability, the Society and the broader legal community can seize this opportunity to lead the way in dismantling systemic discrimination. By sharpening the focus on actionable measures and outcomes and by addressing the specific concerns regarding all forms of discrimination and racism, Nova Scotia’s legal profession has the potential to create lasting, transformative change.
The ANSJI looks forward to collaborating with the NSBS and the Implementation Lead in advancing this critical work.
In solidarity,
Shawna Paris-Hoyte ONS, KC, RSW-CS, PhD(std)
Executive Director - ANSJI
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