The puzzling persistence of racial inequality in Canada

A special event as part of the IRPP’s 50th anniversary–year activities

We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary this year. For 30 of those years, France St-Hilaire has been a pivotal figure in reinforcing the Institute’s reputation as a trusted source of independent, bilingual, public policy research in Canada.

On the occasion of France’s retirement, we organized a special lecture in her honour. The lecture, entitled “The puzzling persistence of racial inequality in Canada,” was delivered by Queen’s University Professor Emeritus Keith Banting and Debra Thompson, the Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality and Democratic Societies at McGill University. Their remarks explored why Canada’s robust welfare state – which includes universal health care and myriad employment and training programs – as well as a race-neutral immigration selection system, official multiculturalism and the Charter have not been able to mitigate racial economic inequality.

Lecturers

Keith Banting

Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University

Read Biography

Keith Banting is Stauffer-Dunning Fellow and Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University. His research focuses on the politics of social policy, with a particular interest in the sources of social solidarity in diverse societies. Professor Banting is a member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Debra Thompson

Associate Professor of Political Science at McGill University

Read Biography

Debra Thompson is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill University. Her research focuses on the relationships among race, the state, and inequality in Canada and other advanced democracies. Her most recent book, The Long Road Home: On Blackness and Belonging, will be published by Scribner Canada (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) in September 2022.