To combat ongoing racist activities across B.C. and support future anti-racism initiatives, the Province is gearing up to launch a racist incident hotline.
In Vancouver alone, it notes anti-Asian hate crimes spiked over 700 per cent in 2020 compared to the previous year.
And when comparing B.C. with communities across North America on a per-capita basis, Attorney General David Eby says we’re a “major hot spot for anti-Asian racism.” He says this is “unacceptable and more action is needed.”
The hotline is intended to be a multilingual service – not delivered by police – for B.C.’ers to report racist incidents and receive support and referrals, the Province explains.
It says the hotline won’t replace emergency response services, but rather provide a “culturally safe venue for racialized British Columbians to report incidents, validate their experiences and obtain support services.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, Rachna Singh, says the government has a moral and ethical responsibility to tackle discrimination in all its forms.
With this in mind, she says they’ve done a lot already, “like recently quadrupling funding for community-based anti-racism projects.” However, she adds “there’s more to do, and a hotline will support British Columbians if they witness or are the victim of a racist incident.”
Discussions with Indigenous partners and other racialized groups related to race-based data collection are now underway, and the Province says broader public engagement is planned for this summer: “Consultations with community stakeholders will inform the racist incident hotline to help ensure it meets the needs of Indigenous, Black and other racialized and faith communities.”
Quick Facts:
The B.C. government says it’s undertaking a variety of anti-racism initiatives to make the province a safer and more inclusive place for everyone.
These include:
- investing more than $1.2 million in multicultural grants in March for more than 190 anti-racism projects throughout the province;
- launching an anti-racism public information campaign; and
- committing to introducing a new anti-racism act and legislation on race-based data collection.
