CBSA Has Fired Someone After A Racist Video Reportedly Showed One Of Their Officers

As the Prime Minister noted, racism is still prevalent in Canada. One of the latest examples reportedly involves a Canada Border Services Agency officer in a video that appears to make a joke about police brutality.

In a tweet on June 1, CBSA wrote "The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is aware of a video circulating online. We are investigating this case immediately and appropriate actions will be taken."

Then, in a tweet posted on June 2, the agency confirmed that the individual involved no longer worked for them. 

"As an organization that represents all Canadians and is very diverse, we hold our employees to a high level of professionalism and integrity," they posted. "The person in question was a casual employee at the Agency who worked in a non frontline capacity."*

While they did not post any further information or offer any other comments, a Twitter user replied to the first tweet saying that the video in question involved a woman who works for CBSA reenacting George Floyd's death on Snapchat with her boyfriend.

Shania Lavallee, the woman in the video, posted an apology on her personal Instagram account regarding the video, writing "To anyone who saw my post, I meant absolutely no disrespect and didn't mean to hurt or offend anyone."

She continued, calling her own actions "insensitive" and "inconsiderate."

She concluded with the message, "I am so sorry to anyone that has been hurt or affected in any way through my post as this is not a reflection of who I am as a person."

Shania had listed her employer as Boston Pizza on her Facebook profile, and after being sent a message about her online conduct, the company responded saying her employment had been terminated.

The social media posts come in the wake of protests against racial violence by police continuing across the United States. Similar protests were also held in Toronto and Montreal over the weekend.

*Editor's note: This story has been updated.