Nova Scotia New Democrats make promise to ban street checks if elected next month

Nova Scotia’s NDP leader says his party will ban street checks to curb racial profiling if they win the provincial election next month.

Gary Burrill made the announcement in the newly created riding of Preston, which is predominantly African Nova Scotian.

Burrill says his party is also promising to do away with the “suspicious activity” exception for the checks, calling the practice “highly problematic.”

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The Nova Scotia government promised to ban the practice in 2019 after the release of a report from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission that found street checks disproportionately affect Black Nova Scotians.

Burrill says despite the promise from the Liberal government to do away with the practice, Black people in the community continue to experience unfair interactions with the police.

The Nova Scotia election is scheduled for Aug. 17.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2021.