Montreal, October 2, 2026 — LAKAY met today in Montreal with Mme Ashwini KP, United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, during her official visit to Canada.
We took advantage of this meeting to discuss systemic racism in Quebec and, more specifically, the reality experienced in our Lanaudière region. Racism and racial profiling don't stop at the city limits: in the suburbs and rural areas, they are less visible, less documented, and therefore more difficult to combat.
A report and a survey submitted to the Rapporteur
LAKAY handed over to Mr.me KP's report Municipal inaction in the face of racial profiling in Repentigny: 2017-2021, Produced with the support of the Profiling Observatory, this report retraces the cases of racial profiling made public in Repentigny and the institutional response.
We also presented him with the results of our most recent survey on safety and racism in Lanaudière, conducted in 2026 among the population of the region.
A mother's voice
Mme Marie-Mireille Bence was with us. She is the mother of Jean René Junior Olivier, who passed away on the 1st.er August 2021 during a police intervention in Repentigny. She testified to the feeling of injustice that still haunts her, five years after the death of her son.
«We asked the Special Rapporteur not to forget the regions. What the Black communities of Lanaudière are experiencing must be heard all the way to Geneva,» said Pierre Richard Thomas, Executive Director of LAKAY.
The mission of the Special Rapporteur
Mme Ashwini KP will undertake an official visit to Canada from September 28 to October 9, 2026. During these twelve days, she will travel to Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal, Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto. She will meet with government representatives, members of racialized groups, civil society organizations, and researchers. Her mandate is to assess Canada's progress and challenges regarding racial equality, including systemic and structural forms of racism. As an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council, she will submit a report on her visit, including her findings and recommendations, to the Council in June 2027.
LAKAY thanks Mme KP for listening and will continue his work with victims of racial profiling in Lanaudière.
Also read: A look back at LAKAY's report on racial profiling in Repentigny (2017-2021).
Image: United Nations flag, public domain (Wikimedia Commons).