Ex-Premier on the Politics of Race, Justice and the Law

The Honourable Bob Rae, former premier of Ontario, was the keynote speaker at this year's Law Society of Upper Canada education forum to commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The event was held on March 22.

"This is not about how people think … It is about the impact of discrimination, it is about the effect of discrimination, it is about what discrimination does to the people who are on the receiving end and ultimately, on the people who are dishing it out. And that is where the law has such a profound effect, and that is when I think of the legal structures we have today: The Charter, the Human Rights Code, the improvements in the Criminal Code. I look at the structures that are in place, I look at the sensitivity, the sensibility, and the leadership, which Canadian jurisprudence is now providing, not just for Canada but for the world. I think that we can be very proud of saying that yes, the law plays an important role, the law has played an important role. The law will set us all free."