Black advocates call out Carney government for excluding them from diversity council

OTTAWA — Advocates for Black Canadians say the Carney government is reinforcing the barriers they face by launching an inclusivity council that does not include any Black people.

MP Jean Augustine, the first Black woman elected to the House of Commons, says the government is snubbing the accomplishments of Black people in Canada.

Amnesty International’s representative for English-speaking Canada says the decision was a major oversight and a sign of how fighting racism is a lower priority for Prime Minister Mark Carney than it was for his predecessor Justin Trudeau.

Carney’s office and Heritage Canada did not immediately respond when asked whether a Black person will be appointed or if the council intentionally did not include one.

Nicholas Marcus Thompson, co-chair of the National Employment Equity Council, says the council should report directly to Parliament instead of a federal minister, and have more autonomy.

Advocates also say the government neglected to cite anti-Black racism in launching the council, which replaces two special envoys who had been tasked with combating Islamophobia and antisemitism.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press