Toward Anti-Racism in Canadian Psychology: A Call to Action from the Future of the Field

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Abstract
Racism exists at the individual and systemic level where power differentials and hierarchies oppress racial minorities. Canada’s auspicious history of colonialism and systemic racism puts Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour at-risk of poor psychological health, in addition to a host of other health-related concerns. As psychologists and trainees, our ethical duty, as outlined in our Code of Ethics, includes the responsibility to society. Recent sociocultural discussions and political movements (e.g., Black Lives Matter) highlight the need to confront and address issues of long-standing racism and inequity. As such, this commentary provides a brief review of the current and historical contexts of racism in psychology and highlights the need for a concrete, actionable plan to address these concerns. Consequently, we propose 18 recommendations to address the reviewed problems. We believe that these recommendations will help various settings that house and train psychologists as well as ones that regulate the profession (e.g., academic psychology departments, hospitals, private practices, governing bodies for psychology) to adopt anti-racist measures that provide a more inclusive environment.