Committee will use data to advise B.C. government, dismantle systemic barriers
A new provincial committee has been convened to tackle systemic barriers that make it harder for racialized people to access government programs and services in British Columbia.
“Undoing the legacy of racism in our government is more important now than ever,” said Niki Sharma, the province’s attorney general.
The Provincial Committee on Anti-Racism held its first meetings in Vancouver earlier this month and will meet several more times this year.
“My fellow committee members and I are committed to ensuring the voices of those most affected by racism are heard loud and clear through meaningful engagement with marginalized communities,” said committee chair Hasan Alam, a lawyer with the B.C. General Employees’ Union.
The committee will use data to help develop anti-racism training standards for public bodies, provide input on public education and awareness strategies, consult with public bodies, and engage racialized community members in implementing the Anti-Racism Act.
British Columbia saw the overall number of hate crimes increase by 118 per cent during the first year of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the number of hate incidents reported against people of East Asian descent in B.C. increased by 717 per cent between 2019 and 2020.
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