Voices of Rural BC Communities Inform New Anti-Racism Data Legislation

The Resilience BC Hub, managed by the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society, congratulates the Province of BC on the extensive public consultation process used to inform the creation of today’s Anti-Racism Data Act.

Rural members of the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network were supported by the Resilience BC Hub to engage Indigenous Peoples, People of African Descent and other racialized communities in trauma-informed, online consultations. Discussions highlighted the barriers faced by participants when accessing government services, the rationale for collecting demographic data and measures required to make this critical data collection process safe and accessible.

Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network member in Hope, Peter Bailey, found that the consultations not only gathered important information to inform the new legislation, but it also created an important opportunity for community building. “For many of the meeting participants, the honest and open discussions validated the ongoing racism that they face every day. This meeting allowed for people to share their experiences and build solidarity in addressing this systemic problem.”

The Resilience BC Hub provided a report to the Province with recommendations to ensure transparent and accessible information on how data is being collected and used. These recommendations included the ability to opt-out of providing this information when seeking provincial government services, the creation of culturally appropriate measures that centre racial equity when collecting and using demographic data. The recommendations also called for ongoing anti-racism, unconscious bias and cultural safety training for government employees.

Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society Executive Director, Karen Hira commented “While over 13,000 people participated in these consultations, the work of the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network ensured that the voices of people in rural communities who are impacted by racism everyday were heard. The Resilience BC Hub and Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre society applauds the government for this and other anti-racism initiatives that are underway.” The race-based data collection process has been an important learning experience for the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network on how to conduct community consultations in a culturally appropriate and culturally safe way. The network is hopeful that the learning from this process will continue to inform how this data legislation is implemented moving forward.

The Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network offers a province-wide approach to identifying and challenging racism and is funded by the Province of British Columbia. The program connects communities across the province with information, support and the training they need to respond to, and prevent, future incidents of racism and hate.