Speaking Notes for the CNERJ Panel by Renée Vaugeois
October 30 2024
Key Challenges Facing Edmonton
Edmonton faces rising social tensions, particularly among those living in chronic poverty and trauma. The Edmonton Social Planning Council recently reported that Edmonton has the highest rate of child poverty in Alberta, with homelessness and food bank use also on the rise.
Many people struggle with addiction as a coping mechanism for deep-seated trauma, often originating in childhood. Hate crimes and gender-based violence against unhoused individuals are disturbingly prevalent yet largely invisible.
A recent experience underscored this for me. While driving in Toronto with four women from Righting Relations Canada, I realized that each of us had endured sexual violence at a young age—a tragic reality affecting the lives of countless women and shaping their relationships with men. Trauma and violence is recurrent in many communities, and the depth of pain we see urgently calls for healing.
Unfortunately, our current systems fall short. Edmonton’s shelter system, for example, lacks dignity and healing-centered support, exacerbating the very issues it seeks to address.
The relationship between law enforcement and those in chronic poverty is also problematic. Bylaws often originate from colonial narratives of exclusion, leading to violent, harmful cycles for both community members and police officers. Collective trauma is the norm, and while people seek connection, Edmonton’s community structure tends to push these issues out of sight, often violently.
I want to acknowledge Mathios Arkangelo and Hoff Lightning—recent victims of police-related violence in Edmonton. This speaks to a broader lack of accountability, where police relationships often seem untouchable and jurisdictional complexities prevent any meaningful responsibility-taking. The result is a perpetuation of harm, especially for our most vulnerable.
This absence of accountability reflects a broader issue within Canada’s legal system, which many of us nationally are pushing the UN Human Rights Council to investigate. Our legal system focuses not on human rights but on criminalization and erasure. To truly address poverty, trauma, and oppression, we need transformation across legal and political frameworks.
Our law schools play a role here as well. Although Canada is bound by international human rights obligations, law students aren’t taught how to use these treaties to reshape systems. A shift in legal education is critical to developing a justice-centered system.
Challenges in My Work
Human rights can be uncomfortable for many, particularly those with privilege or decision-making power. For instance, within Edmonton’s City Administration, there can be a disconnect between leadership and employees working directly with the community. While there are dedicated individuals within the public sector, empowering these individuals to make impactful changes remains challenging due to institutional structures and outdated views on leadership.
Proposed Solutions
1. Our law departments must lead a shift toward embedding international human rights in legal curricula. This foundation can equip law students with the skills to use international obligations to address trauma, poverty, and systemic oppression.
2. Edmonton’s bureaucracy needs an organizational shift, allowing citizens, especially those with lived experiences, to guide change. The Indigenous Services office provides a promising example, but we need to ensure those with local knowledge are included in decision-making to foster impactful changes.
The same applies to the Alberta Government, which should establish strong intergovernmental relationships to address these needs collectively.
3. We need an honest conversation about the structure, funding, and leadership of our policing system. Alternative accountability mechanisms and clearer jurisdictional roles can help address community harm without forcing individuals into a lengthy court process, which often exacerbates trauma.
4. For those experiencing homelessness, we need spaces that offer safety, dignity, and healing. Programs like Toronto’s Sacred Fires serve as models for creating transitional spaces that support individuals in recovery.
Experience in Building Solutions
In food security, we’re working with a core group of 14 stakeholders in Edmonton’s food ecosystem to envision a future that prioritizes justice and accessibility.
In housing, we help unhoused individuals document human rights issues, working toward shelter reform. Recently, we collaborated with a legal team to challenge the charter rights violations faced by those without housing.
Education is another area where we’re supporting local Indigenous educators in creating spaces for land-based learning, fostering youth connections to spirit and healing. With 74% of children in care today being Indigenous, it’s clear Canada’s focus on residential schools overlooks ongoing impacts of the Sixties Scoop and systemic displacement. Young people aging out of care often migrate to cities without community support, making them some of the most vulnerable. With the help of the Alberta Law Foundation, we’re working with these youth to document their needs and advocate for policy changes.
Within the prison system, we work alongside the Elizabeth Fry Society and the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies to spotlight systemic issues. We were part of a charter case addressing the conditions at the Edmonton Institution for Women, highlighting the need for reform.
In policing, we’ve created spaces for dialogue and produced two documentaries on community experiences with law enforcement in Edmonton. Policing reform is a national issue, and while Alberta has started initiatives, the work would be greatly strengthened by actively involving frontline community members.
Through Righting Relations, we build capacity for adult educators and community organizers across Canada, fostering networks to drive radical social change.
Role of the Canadian Network for Equity and Racial Justice (CNERJ)
The network has a vital role in advocating for Canada’s commitment to national and international treaties, such as those at the UN. Canada must advance the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) to address systemic inequities. Strengthening capacity to use international law to reform our systems needn’t rely solely on courts; community engagement networks are equally crucial. Collaborating with frontline workers who support people facing poverty, addiction, and trauma can create pathways for connection, dialogue, and support.
While infrastructure for housing is critical, it must be paired with spaces for healing and community support. Otherwise, we risk perpetuating cycles of pain, which come at a high cost to individuals and the community. Addressing trauma and poverty requires shifting not only resources but also the narrative—creating spaces for curiosity, understanding, and growth in tackling racism and discrimination.
It requires us to get deeply uncomfortable. A network like this can strengthen our resolve and create spaces of connection that work across all levels of jurisdiction. From the local to provincial to national levels, one of the most critical issues we face in this country is the challenges of jurisdiction. We need to collectively work together to tie things together and build bridges in the work at all three levels.
Finally, sharing successful models of anti-racist, community-driven support, like Toronto’s Sacred Fires, can inspire change. These initiatives help shape communities where marginalized individuals are actively welcomed and supported.