Directions, the Canadian Race Relation’s journal, provides community-based, action-oriented research, commentary, and perspectives on eliminating racism and discrimination.

We are pleased to announce that the July submission in Directions comes from Sheila Block, senior economist and public commentator with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and Dr. Grace-Edward Galabuzi. “Persistent Inequality” was first published for the CCPA. While our May publication of “Losing Ground” tackled the problems of income inequality, this month’s publication of “Persistent Inequality” examines the racialized income gap and the labour market experiences of racialized and non-racialized Ontario workers. By comparing 2006 with 2016 census data from Statistics Canada, this paper explores the seemingly colour coded labour market and the policies needed to tackle barriers to employment equity.

Read this month's article

Sheila Block is a senior economist and public commentator with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). Along with an Honours B.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia and an MA in Economics from the University of Toronto, Sheila Block has experience working as both a political advisor and public servant in the Ontario government, as well as an economic in the labour movement. Her research and specializations include Canada’s labour market, public finance, and inequality.  You can follow Sheila on Twitter @SheilaBlockTO or email her at .

Grace-Edward is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration. In addition to earning his BA, MA, and Ph.D in Political Science from York University, he also holds a BA in Economics from the University of Winnipeg. His academic teaching areas include equity and human rights and third world politics and research interests include local community responses to global economic restructuring, the racialization of the Canadian labour market, and social exclusion and social economic status of racialized groups in Canada. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Galabuzi has worked in the Ontario government as a senior policy analyst and was a former provincial coordinator of the Ontario Alliance for Employment Equity. He is much involved in many community campaigns and public debates regarding social justice issues.

Looking for past articles? Click here to read! 

About Directions

The Directions journal serves as an important piece of the CRRF’s mission to strengthen Canadian values and build a united Canadian community. In the past, Directions was produced in a traditional journal format; previously unpublished articles, selected based on a central theme, were passed through an editorial board, peer review, and translation. The final product was a printed journal that could be either purchased or freely accessed in PDF format online. In recent months, we changed our parameters to the following:

• Authors will have the choice regarding whether or not they would like to submit their article for peer review.
• We will accept articles that have been published elsewhere, so long as they are aligned with the articulated themes of race, racism, and discrimination - in all forms - in Canada.
• Approximately one article will be published per month.

Interested in Submitting an Article to Directions?

The theme for the 2019 issue is Race Relations in the 21st Century: Challenges and Solutions. We welcome submissions that focus on the ways in which communities relate, combine, ally or find themselves in opposition. What are the most effective ways in which we can work together? What are the impediments to respectful and productive relationships? While there is much focus on the value of apology and reconciliation, is there an argument be made (to use the title of David Rieff’s book) in praise of forgetting? Are we, as Canadians, too polite to engage in the hard conversations necessary to take us past interfaith and intercommunal sharing of diet, dress and dance?

We look forward to receiving your experiences, best practices and even glorious failures. We hope you will share what you have learned.