Lawyers for a man and his granddaughter say their treatment is evidence of "systemic racism"
Just months after the Bank of Montreal set out its commitment to diversity and Indigenous issues, it has been hit with a human rights complaint over the treatment of an Indigenous man and his granddaughter.
The incident occurred in December 2019 when Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter Tori-Anne visited a downtown Vancouver branch of BMO to open an account for the 12 year old girl.
Global News reports that the man produced his Indian Status Card when asked for identification by a teller. However, the bank employee sought advice from a branch manager who questioned the ethnicity of Johnson and his granddaughter.
Vancouver Police Department was called and the two members of the Heiltsuk First Nation in Bella Bella were taken outside the bank in handcuffs. Officers were able to confirm the validity of the ID.
A BMO spokesperson contacted the pair after the incident to apologize and the police also apologized, the Global News report acknowledges.
Neither organization has made public comment regarding the latest development.
Human rights complaint
The issue has now been escalated with a human rights complaint filed by Mr Johnson’s lawyers against both BMO and the Vancouver Police Department.
“Human rights tribunals need to hold institutions accountable for systemic racism,” Johnson said in a statement. “Visible minorities are under constant threat of racial profiling by organizations, and discrimination by police. We are filing these human rights complaints to seek justice for our family, our community, and First Nations, and so that other people of colour can feel safe.”
Marilyn Slett, Chief Councillor of the Heiltsuk Nation, says the pair deserve justice for their treatment.
“From the BMO manager deciding our members didn’t belong, to the 911 call to police, to the cuffing, detention and questioning of Max and his granddaughter about how they came to be at the bank, this was a clear case of racial profiling and systemic racism,” she said.
