Premier Ranj Pillai marked the past Tuesday’s annual International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

“This observation marks the date police in Sharpeville, South Africa, killed 69 people during an anti-apartheid protest in 1960,” Pillai recalled in a statement.

“While much progress has been made, Indigenous peoples, racialized people and religious minority communities continue to face racism and discrimination every day.

“Our government remains committed to taking action against inequities and to working hard to promote diversity and inclusion.”

As part of this work, the premier added, “we continue to strengthen relationships with First Nations governments as well as provide support for organizations that advocate for racialized communities within the territory.

“Within the public service, we are strengthening the government as a culturally-safe and supportive work environment for First Nations employees. This includes mentorship opportunities, secondments within First Nations governments and mandatory First Nations 101 training for new employees.”

Pillai said he’s proud that the territory has become so culturally diverse.

“With the recent increase to the territory’s number of allocations under the Yukon Nominee Program, we look forward to seeing more people of diverse backgrounds immigrate to the territory,” he said.

(Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has informed the Yukon government it’s increasing the territory’s number of allocations under the Provincial Nominee Program from 300 to 430 for 2023.)

“I encourage all Yukoners to use this opportunity (Tuesday’s observance) to reflect and re-examine prejudice, privilege and the ways we view the world,” Pillai said.

“Together, we celebrate our commonalities, embrace our differences and build a stronger, more inclusive society for everyone to call home.”