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QUEBEC — With the government mulling over changes, a coalition of groups fighting discrimination is urging Quebec to not cave in to political pressures and scale back or scrap hearings into systemic racism.

“It is imperative that the government of Quebec not back down, but also that it maintain its distance to ensure partisan and electoral interests not influence the work of the Quebec Human Rights Commission,” Samira Laouni said.

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Laouni, co-president of the Table de concertation contre le racisme systémique — which includes about 30 anti-racism groups — called a news conference in Montreal to express concern about Premier Philippe Couillard’s statement that he might scale back the hearing process.

Laouni said the government can’t have it both ways: set up an independent process to be run under the umbrella of the Quebec Human Rights Commission and then start meddling in the process when the heat is on.