Heiltsuk father and daughter accuse Canadian Tire of racism, profiling

An Indigenous father and daughter in British Columbia have filed a Human Rights Commission complaint against Canadian Tire and Blackbird Security Inc., its third-party security company, claiming they experienced racial profiling and racism at a store in Coquitlam from an employee who responded with a racist comment.

Dawn Wilson is speaking publicly about the human rights complaint she and her father, Richard Wilson, filed after years of trying to settle the dispute herself, saying she hopes it will lead to systemic change at the retail giant.

The complaint alleges that in January 2020, the pair purchased new tires for installation at the Canadian Tire store along Sequin Drive.

“We went for our appointment, it was going to be about an hour and a half so we decided to shop in the store while we waited,” Dawn told CityNews Vancouver.

Dawn recalls her father being approached by a security guard at the checkout, demanding to search Richard’s backpack, despite other customers also having similar bags.

“My dad let them look in his bag and of course nothing was in there and when we got outside I looked at him and I could see how that had impacted him and I was so ashamed of myself for not standing up for him,” she said.

Wilson says when she went to pick up her car she explained to one of the mechanics what had happened.

“I felt safe enough to tell him what had happened and he very loudly in front of everyone said that his dad taught him the difference between an Indian and a Native and I said ‘oh ya what’s that’ and he said ‘Indians come from the reserve and beg and steal and Natives don’t.'”

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Since the incident took place Wilson says they have reached out to Canadian Tire multiple times and claims the company is unwilling to meaningfully engage in resolution efforts.

“I finally called a while later and they had misfiled my complaint and lost it and they had offered me a $50 gift card,” Dawn told CityNews Vancouver.

She says she hopes by filing a human rights complaint the company will respond and address what happened.

“I tried to pretend like nothing bad was happening, I tried to smile and just act like it was normal,” said Dawn.

In a statement to CityNews Vancouver, the Canadian Tire Corporation says it takes any claims of racial profiling and racism very seriously.

“It simply should not happen. The associate dealer who owns the store has been actively at the table, cooperating with the tribunal since the claim was filed,” the company said.

“We believe that is the proper forum for these discussions, and we are not in a position to comment further.”

Dawn says she wants Canadian Tire to apologize, improve training and provide financial compensation including money that would directly support urban members of the Heiltsuk Nation.

Last year the Wilsons sought support and lawyers for the Heiltsuk Nation got involved in the case.

Elected chief Marilyn Slett says in a statement that Canadian Tire has been unwilling to meaningfully engage in resolution efforts ever since.

“Trust has been broken. Canadian Tire had no reason to search Richard’s backpack, except that he looked Indigenous,” she says.

“The racist ‘lesson’ that was shared with Dawn was disgusting and shows just how much work Canadian Tire must do before it can earn back the trust of Indigenous customers and people of colour. Truth and reconciliation require they admit what happened and ensure it never happens again.”