Save the Date for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Event 2023

March 8, 2023 - Defence Stories

What: National Defence International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Event 2023: The Impacts of Racial Discrimination

Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM (EDT)

Where: In person: Carling Campus Pavilion, Virtually: MS Stream

Guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website), the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) recognizes that the injustices and prejudices fuelled by racial discrimination continue to take place every day. Observed annually on March 21, it commemorates the day police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in 1960.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Defence Team members are invited to join the Deputy Minister, the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Defence Champion for Visible Minorities, and special guests for a national virtual/in-person event on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Under the theme “Impacts of Racial Discrimination,” this event will be an opportunity to learn more about the effects of racial discrimination and to have meaningful dialogue that will enact positive change at all levels of the Defence Team.

This event, featuring a panel discussion and a Q&A session, will be hybrid. Defence Team members are invited to attend in-person at Carling Campus or virtually by watching the live broadcast of the event on the MS Stream.

Panel event:

The panel will encourage open, honest and constructive conversations about racial discrimination in Canada, and the experiences of racialized Canadians in the Canadian Armed Forces, Public Service and the private sector.

The panel will be moderated by Commodore Jacques Olivier, Defence Team Champion for Visible Minorities and Director General Professional Conduct and Development within Chief Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC). It will feature four panelists:

Panelists will take questions from the in-person and virtual audience submitted via Slido during the event.

• Slido URL: https://app.sli.do/event/5NNuhPELL3hfEht3guMcSB. Event code: #IDERDJIEDR. Please note that you will be prompted to provide your name and email when submitting a question. Questions asked without a name will be disregarded. Thank you!

Join us for this important event to learn from the lived experiences of racialized Defence Team members and gain a better understanding of how to address racial discrimination when it happens. Together, let’s take deliberate and coordinated actions to foster brave spaces where dialogue will drive meaningful change and make DND/CAF a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for all.