Reproduced with permission of the author

Please accept my personal thanks for your recent public statement condemning the inexcusable treatment of fellow Canadian, Suaad Hagi Mohamud, by Canadian embassy staff in Nairobi, Kenya. The extremely inappropriate and shabby manner in which Ms Mohamud, as well as other Canadians of visible minority background, have been treated by various embassy officials is the subject of great concern by many Canadians especially those of us from visible minority backgrounds.

As a proud Canadian who has devoted his adult life to public service in Canada, including as an advocate for immigrants and minorities, I am saddened by the continuing entrenched culture of racism and discrimination that exists in our governmental public services – racism and discrimination that many of my colleagues and I have personally experienced and fought against over the years, including during the ten years that I worked as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice. Like many others, I continue to be greatly concerned about the snail’s pace of change in our government institutions on the important and critical issues of racism and discrimination.

Once again, thank you Premier for being unequivocal in your condemnation of the manner in which Ms Mohamud was treated.

Yours sincerely,

Mark

Mark M. Persaud, LL.B., LL.M. held a broad range of positions with the Department of Justice as a prosecutor, counsel to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ( RCMP – Integrated Proceeds of Crime Unit), and civil litigation counsel. He studied political science at York University and obtained his law degrees from Osgoode Hall Law School. He also studied at the Center for Study of Values in Public Life at Harvard University.

He was twice elected to the National Executive of a federal Canadian political party as well being as an Adviser to a federal Cabinet minister. He has chaired and and advised on political campaigns at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

He is a social entrepreneur who has contributed to community development within Canada as well as internationally. He is the Founder of the Canadian International Peace Project , a non-partisan organization that works on issues of domestic and international peace, security and development. An Honourary Patron of the Canadian Somali Congress, an Advisor to YouthBank and a Director of The Austistic Acceptance Project, he is also founder of, and board member, advisor and volunteer with numerous organisations and has won many awards and recognitions for his extensive community service including being the recipient of the 2007 Alumni Public Sector Gold Key from Osgoode Hall Law School and being nominated by the diplomatic community for the prestigious 2006 Seoul Peace Prize.