According to the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, discrimination is defined as “a distinction, exclusion or preference having the effect of destroying or compromising the right to equality”.

As stated by the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse in its Consultation report on racial profiling and its consequences; “Discrimination is generally fueled by stereotypes and prejudices, conscious or not, which, in this case, disqualify or stigmatize individuals because of their color, their appearance or their membership, real or presumed, in a group”[1].

[1] Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, Racial profiling and systemic discrimination of racialized young people, Report of the consultation on racial profiling and its consequences, 2011, p. 14-15

The Barreau du Québec defines it as follows: “By systemic racism, we mean the social production of race-based inequality in the decisions people are made and the treatment they receive. Racial inequality is the result of the organization of the economic, cultural and political life of a society”.

Racism is therefore a set of systemic practices that objectively produces and reproduces cumulative and enduring inequalities based on “race”. This system is far from being limited to isolated discriminatory acts, it can manifest itself in an organic way in a society, affecting different sectors at the same time such as; employment, health, justice, housing…

Addressing racism in a systemic way takes into account the systems of domination, institutional structures and economic, social and political processes that support and reinforce everyday racism. The analogy of a tree and its components (roots, trunks, branches and leaves) is often used to illustrate systemic racism;

Systems of domination (roots): Racism has historically been fueled by multiple systems of domination (colonialism, white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, etc.) that have constructed a hierarchy among humans based on a supposed racial superiority of one over another .
Ideology and institutional structures (trunk): Racism is supported by racist institutional practices that manifest themselves in laws, policies, rules and regulations, as well as in some media and cultural practices. This limits access to resources for racialized individuals and groups, restricts their participation in political life and reinforces social inequities. Racism is also fueled by stereotypes and prejudices that justify and legitimize racist policies.
Everyday manifestations of racism (branches and leaves): Discriminatory and/or hostile interpersonal practices are the most visible form of racism. We can thus think, for example, of physical and sexual assault, attempts at intimidation and insults, racial profiling, employment discrimination, etc. Racism is often reduced to this interpersonal dimension because of its visibility, yet this is facilitated and legitimized by the systems of domination as well as the institutional structures and ideological systems, mentioned above.

Race is a social construct and not a biological reality. It is not only based on skin color, but also on other perceived characteristics such as culture, language, customs, or religion (as is the case with Islamophobia and anti-Semitism) . Racialization is the process by which some societies construct races as real, different, and unequal to maintain social, political, and economic dominance over racialized groups. It is a moving process that is bound to take different forms depending on the geographical and socio-historical context[1].

[1] For example, in his book “How the Irish Became White”, Noel Ignatiev explains how Irish immigrants to the United States in the late 19th century gradually became “racially superior “, therefore “white”, after having long been considered “an inferior race.” For more information, here is the complete reference: Ignatiev, N. (1995). How the Irish Became White. New York: Routledge.