British Columbians urged to help shape anti-racism legislation

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(flickr.com)

People are encouraged to share their thoughts through an online quiz on how the government can best address systemic racism.

The information gathered will help inform new legislation that will hold the government accountable for addressing systemic racism in its programs and services, and for providing support to those who have been negatively impacted.

The legislation, being co-developed with Indigenous Peoples and due to be introduced in 2024, builds on the landmark Anti-Racism Data Act. The law aims to identify gaps and barriers that Indigenous and racialized people face when accessing public services through voluntary data collection. The new legislation will force the government to tackle systemic racism uncovered by law. This could include requiring the government to change laws and review its policies and programs to ensure that Indigenous and racialized people are better represented in the system.

In addition to the anti-racism quiz, racialized, intersectional, 2SLGBTQIA+ and faith-based community organizations, as well as Indigenous governments are invited to apply for grants to conduct their own engagement sessions on the legislation. Successful grant recipients may receive up to $5,000 to pay for expenses, such as equipment rental, communications materials and honorariums. Applications for Community Grants will be accepted until June 23, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. PT.

Anti-racism legislation is part of the province’s intergovernmental work to work with Indigenous peoples and racialized communities to dismantle systemic racism and build a better, more inclusive province.

Learn more:

The questionnaire is available in 15 languages ​​and will remain open until September 30, 2023: https://feedback.engage.gov.bc.ca/379139?lang=en

To learn more about community grants, visit: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/antiracism/

For more information on what to do if you see or are the victim of a hate crime, visit: https://www.resiliencebc.ca/

A backgrounder follows.

Information materials

Other steps are being taken to make British Columbia a safer and more inclusive place for everyone:

reinstating the British Columbia Human Rights Commissioner; implementing the K-12 Anti-Racism Action Plan to equip students, teachers, and parents with the resources to identify and respond to racism and discrimination; investing more than $48.5 million in Canada’s first Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver’s Chinatown; advancing work to establish British Columbia’s first Filipino cultural center and a one-of-a-kind South Asian museum; supporting the BC Human Rights Tribunal; and implementing the Anti-Racism Data Act to identify gaps and barriers in public services.

https://news.gov.bc.ca/28922

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