Upon conclusion of the 17 hearings on 14 campuses and the compilation of Task Force participant statements, Task Force members identified four major themes within the report: individual and systemic racism in campus life, institutional racism in hiring and curriculum, institutional racism in university policy and governance and systemic racism in the broader society.

The Report is available for download here. 

In August 2008 representatives of over 300,000 college and university students voted to strike a Task Force on Campus Racism. This campaign of the Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario follows the 2006-07 Task Force on the Needs of Muslim Students which identified not only incidents of Islamophobia but also racism and other forms of discrimination on college and university campuses across Ontario.

In order to more fully address some of the issues that arose from the report on the needs of Muslim students, along with a number of incidents of racism on campuses across Ontario in recent years, the Federation is launching a Task Force focused on experiences of racism in the post-secondary education system in Ontario.

The Task Force consists of nine members who travel to hearings across the province and take statements from racialised students, faculty and staff about their experiences on campus and possible solutions to racism. Participants’ statements can range from individual incidents to experiences of and perceptions about systemic racism in all aspects of the college and university experience.

Following these hearings the Task Force will prepare a report summarising the content of the hearings, identifying themes, and making recommendations for various institutional and governmental agencies.