VANCOUVER — An Indigenous father and daughter in British Columbia are accusing Canadian Tire and its third-party security company of racial profiling and racism after they say he was singled out at a store in Coquitlam and an employee 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 on Jan. 17, 2020, the pair purchased new tires for installation and shopped in-store while they waited.
At the checkout, Wilson says a guard with the company Blackbird Security asked to search her father's backpack, despite other customers also having similar bags.
Wilson, a member of the Heiltsuk Nation, says when she raised what happened with one of the store's mechanics, instead of taking the incident seriously, he responded with a racist anecdote.
"He chose to say in front of everybody that his dad taught him the difference between an Indian and a native. And I said, 'Oh, yeah, what's that?' He said, 'an Indian comes from the reserve and begs and steals and demands money, and natives do not.'"
Wilson said in an interview Tuesday that she held in her feelings in that moment but cried on the way home.
A statement from Canadian Tire Corp. says it takes 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, co-operating with the tribunal since the claim was filed," the statement says.
"We believe that is the proper forum for these discussions, and we are not in a position to comment further."
Blackbird Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wilson said she made multiple attempts to complain to the Canadian Tire head office, only to be told initially that her complaint was misfiled and then later offered a $50 gift card.
She said it took about a year for the pair to decide to file a human rights complaint, which names the individual franchise, the company's head office and the security company, but that too was bogged down with hurdles as she tried to represent herself in the process.
"They've had so many opportunities to own up to it, apologize, and they've missed every single one of them. And to me, that says there's a larger problem here," she said.
"It's on multiple levels, and it starts with the head office, it goes down to the franchise and down to the third-party companies that they hire. And if they can't recognize when racism is happening, how on earth are they combating it and making sure it doesn't happen again?"
Last year the Wilsons sought support and lawyers for the Heiltsuk Nation got involved in the case.
Heiltsuk elected chief Marilyn Slett said 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."
The Heiltsuk Nation also supported a human rights complaint which led to an apology from the Vancouver Police Department after officers wrongfully handcuffed a grandfather and his 12-year-old granddaughter outside a bank in 2019.
Wilson said she wants Canadian Tire to apologize, improve training on how to handle situations like what she experienced, and provide financial compensation, including money that would directly support urban members of the Heiltsuk Nation.
She said it is important for her to speak publicly so that hopefully it helps others feel safe while shopping.
"The one thing that I would like back is just the pieces of myself that I feel were taken. And I think that this is one step toward that, by giving me strength to say, this isn't OK, not for me and not for anyone else," she said.
"And if it takes me standing up to do that for my dad and other people, then it's worth it. Regardless of how it ends up, I think this is the most important part, that people are aware that it happened, and people can say that's not OK."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024
Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press