QUEBEC CITY -- We have to stop seeing racism everywhere, argues Quebec's first-ever minister responsible for tackling the issue Benoit Charette.

As always with Charette, the tone is calm and the words measured. He does not go overboard, nor does he show off. Let it be said: this will be his style to guide his action.

In an interview this week with The Canadian Press, his first major interview since his appointment on Feb. 24, he did not shy away and showed himself determined to do his homework, to change things and to move quickly, before the end of the mandate, in 18 months.

Since his appointment, he says he has been guided by two principles: "to be relentless against racism and, secondly, not to see racism where it does not exist."

"I would not forgive myself if in a year, a year and a half, we were at the same stage we are now. There is too much evidence in this report not to act," said Charette, referring to the report of the working group against racism, submitted in December.

"The word 'racism' has a lot of meaning," said the Minister, who is also responsible for the Environment and the fight against climate change.

It must be used 'with accuracy', he insists, weighing his words and saying he wants to be very careful with such a potentially explosive issue.

For example, he maintains that the defence of French in Quebec and the law on state secularism cannot be equated with any form of racism.

To think otherwise is to "deflect the debate" and divide people, in his view.

He believes that the "n" word should remain taboo, but not completely.

It is a word to be used "with great care," only if there is a pedagogical intention behind it, he said.

"Outside of a pedagogical context, it is a word that has no place in French," said Charette.

A MINISTER WITHOUT A MINISTRY

Charette is a minister without a ministry, without a budget and without civil servants to assist him. For the moment, at least.

Unusually, given that his functions have never existed in the past, his position is an empty shell, administratively speaking.

He literally has to create it, tailor-made.

To support him, the government is therefore setting up an administrative structure that will report to the executive council and will have the mandate to coordinate all government action to combat racism. It will be a light structure with a handful of officials. Appointments are pending.

Within the government, Charette will have to transform himself into a sort of ambassador for the cause and plead with his ministerial colleagues for the changes demanded and the budgets required, sector by sector.

At first glance, his mandate may seem simple: to follow up on the 25 recommendations contained in the report of the working group headed by his two colleagues, Nadine Girault and Lionel Carmant.

But the task is huge.

He intends to leave no stone unturned, bringing about "real progress" in the coming months, while recognizing that some will be more difficult than others to push through.

The minister is also committed to reporting regularly to the public on ongoing work.

It is clear that many of the report's recommendations address issues that have been known and documented for a long time, and therefore problems that could have been solved long ago.

"So why didn't successive governments act sooner? We didn't have the political will to change behaviour." he said.

He gave as proof that he takes his task very seriously the fact that he wants to replace the brief annual anti-racism publicity campaigns with a genuine, permanent societal information campaign, which will inform people of their rights and remedies.

RACIAL PROFILING

Among the issues that will receive his priority attention will be the relationship between racialized people and the police.

The issue of racial profiling and random arrests are the ones that "hurt the most," he said. The idea of mixed patrols, for example, is progressing well and could be implemented quickly, "but not necessarily everywhere at once."

"We clearly want to move on this," he said, recalling the importance of restoring the population's trust in the police.

He is also having conversations with his education colleague, Jean-Francois Roberge, about changing history courses to include a component on discrimination and racism.

He also wants to make progress on the recognition of diplomas acquired abroad a priority.

At the same time, he will have to find time to wear his other hat, that of Minister of the Environment, which is no mean feat.

ALMOST 7 IN 10 CANADIANS WORRIED ABOUT RACISM

A Leger and Association for Canadian Studies poll found that 64 per cent of Canadians are worried about racism in Canada.

The survey found, however, that only those on the prairies (Manitoba and Saskatchewan at 55 per cent) were less worried than Quebecers of the regions polled.

Fifty-two per cent of Quebecers said they were "somewhat worried" and 11 per cent said they were "very worried."

Unsurprisingly, 59 per cent of those surveyed said they have witnessed hateful comments on social media with half of the visible minorities polled saying they often or sometimes have felt personally attacked by expressions of hate on social media.

The poll also found that 30 per cent of respondents have a negative view of Muslims, 21 per cent of Indigenous people, 14 per cent of Chinese and 13 per cent of Jewish people.

Many of those who responded, however, said they rarely or never had contact with Black people (29 per cent), Indigenous people (50 per cent), Muslims (42 per cent), Jewish people (46 per cent) or Chinese people (38 per cent).

The poll surveyed 1,514 people online from March 12-14. 

-- this report by the Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2021.

-- with files from CTV News Montreal.