Government announces plan to address racism

Press Release

Jan 16, 2026

FREDERICTON – The government has announced its plan to address racism in New Brunswick and officially responded to the commissioner on systemic racism’s final report.

“Racism has no place in New Brunswick,” said Post-Secondary Education and Training Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours. “We all have a role to play in creating a province that is inclusive, welcoming and free of hate. Dismantling all forms of racism will take a sustained, multi-generational effort, and we are proud to present how government intends to lead this change across the province.”

The government’s plan includes establishing an anti-racism office within the department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour. New Brunswick is the fifth Canadian jurisdiction to establish such an office, and its focus will be on addressing racism and promoting equity and inclusion.

The office will work to dismantle systemic racism and remove barriers through policy change, challenging practices, and partnering with communities and affected parties.

In response to the commissioner’s report, work has begun or been completed on 59 per cent of the 86 recommendations. The government has also identified another 19 per cent of the recommendations that are to be initiated.

In addition, efforts are being made to improve transparency of progress on these recommendations with the launch of a new website.

“We’re proud to be fulfilling our commitment to respond to this report and of the progress being made,” said D’Amours. “We know more work lies ahead. We recognize that not all recommendations can be addressed immediately, but we will continue collaborating with partners like the New Brunswick Multicultural Council and the cultural community to identify opportunities for further improvements.”

The anti-racism office will collaborate with partners to continue and monitor progress on the implementation of recommendations. It will also provide status updates online.

“The establishment of an anti-racism office is a significant step for New Brunswick,” said Ben McNamara, executive director of the New Brunswick Multicultural Council. “As the report of the commissioner on systemic racism made clear, we need leadership at a senior level with the power to oversee the dismantling of systemic racism. We stand ready to work alongside this office and the government of New Brunswick to ensure the recommendations from the report translate into meaningful action for all New Brunswickers.”

Further dialogue with First Nations leadership will also be required to ensure the experiences and concerns of Indigenous Peoples are addressed.

Media Contact(s)

Rebecca Howland, communications, Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, rebecca.howland@gnb.ca.

ILR5