New Education Campaign Helps Business Address Consumer Racial Profiling

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission has launched a free online course to help businesses address and prevent consumer racial profiling.

The course, Serving All  Customers Better, is expected to train thousands of front-line service staff in Nova Scotia.

 "This new free training, the first of its kind in Canada, is a definite win-win for businesses and their customers by helping  promote inclusive and welcoming environments," said Christine Hanson, director and CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. "We're thrilled by the overwhelming support of Nova Scotia's business community, who partnered with us to create this course."

 Serving All Customers Better was officially launched on March 27, at an event at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

"Retailers appreciate the steps the commission took to collaborate with the Retail Council of Canada in developing the course, which will complement their existing training," said Jim Cormier, Atlantic Director for Retail Council of Canada. "We're confident this course will give retail employees and other service industry staff a better understanding of the shopping experiences of all Nova Scotians."

Consumer racial profiling is a serious issue in Nova Scotia. Visible minority customers are significantly more likely to be followed, searched and ignored than non-minority customers. Under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act, it is illegal to deny someone service or discriminate against them by treating them differently because of their race, colour or ethnicity.

"The Halifax Chamber of Commerce is excited to share this announcement with our members and the business community at large," says Patrick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. "We encourage our members to use this software and consider how they can integrate it into their ongoing skills development for their workforce. The more information we have on how to be a more welcoming business community, the better it is for us all."

You can learn more about Serving All Customers Better by visiting www.servingall.ca.