The Foundation is led by a board of directors appointed by the federal government as selected by the Governor in Council by recommendations from the Minister of Canadian Heritage, currently Steven Guilbeault.
[3]: 6 The Canadian Race Relations Foundation Act (Bill C-63) received royal assent on 1 February 1991 and proclaimed by the Government on 28 October 1996.
[8][3]: 6 In 2010, the CRRF introduced Canada Lecture, an annual event inviting "accomplished Canadians to raise awareness and understanding of critical issues related to racism and racial discrimination and creating social harmony in our society.
[citation needed] According to Madeline Ziniak, National Vice President of Rogers OMNI Television, the "impact of making key anti-racism messages available to multilingual audiences is an important step towards building an inclusive and accepting Canadian society."
[citation needed] The CRRF undertakes research, collects data, and develops a national information base to further an understanding of the nature of racism and racial discrimination in Canada.
The CRRF is also consulted by officers from the Multiculturalism program at the Department of Heritage Canada as a key community resource in the national effort to address racism.