Whereas the federal and provincial governments have stated that their work at the federal and provincial levels is underway to address the elements of institutional racism across Canada and the Province of British Columbia; And whereas there is a systemic disadvantage imposed on Black members of our community: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Prime Minister, the Premier of British Columbia, and all federal and provincial ministers responsible for education, employment, housing, mental health, and policing to review and report on elements of institutional racism that may be found to exist in the areas of education, employment, housing, mental health, policing and other sectors.
Attorney General and Minister responsible for Housing The Province is committed to addressing systemic anti-Black racism and proclaiming the International Decade for the People of African Descent IDPAD. The ministry hosted a series of 10 community dialogues from May to November 2021. These dialogues bring together members from Black communities and various Ministers to discuss recommendations on how to declare IDPAD in a meaningful way and identify opportunities to address long-standing and emerging issues of systemic racism faced by Black communities in BC. The ministry is also moving forward with work in introducing Anti-Racism Data legislation, in collaboration with Indigenous partners and racialized communities. This legislation is intended to improve governments ability to identify and address areas of systemic racism in government policies, programs and services and is essential to modernizing sectors like policing, health care and education. The Province is also engaging in dialogue with the federal ministry responsible for Canadian Hertitage, Diversity, Inclusion and Youth to ensure that we are working together to address institutional racism in all public programs and services provided to British Columbians. Premier Horgan has made this work a priority for his government and has appointed Parliamentary Secetary Rachna Singh to lead delivering system institutional change and to work towards the eradication of racism in British Columbia.
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development The commitment to a more inclusive Canada can be found in all mandate letters issued to federal ministers by the Prime Minister. In his mandate letter, the Minister of Labour was asked to accelerate the review of the Employment Equity Act, ensure timely implementation of improvements, collaborate with various communities, and actively seek out and incorporate the diverse view of Canadians. Black and racialized Canadians will be included in this process. Through its mission to build a stronger and more inclusive Canada to support Canadians in helping them live productive and rewarding lives and to improve Canadians quality of life, Employment and Social Development Canada ESDC is committed to diversity and inclusion by fighting systemic racism, sexism, discrimination, misconduct, and abuse in our core institutions. The Department has developed a 3-year diversity and inclusion action plan, and a Black engagement and advancement team to hold us accountable and co-deliver on this work. ESDC is also currently developing a tool to help employees of the Department take the history, needs and lived experiences of Black Canadians into account when designing or modifying programs, policies and services. To develop the tool, 13 virtual engagement sessions were held with Black-ledserving organizations across Canada between January and June 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that government services must be available to everyone. This is especially important for marginalized and underserved clients, who even under normal circumstances, experience barriers in accessing government services. ESDC has made its services more accessible to marginalized and underserved populations by developing the Reaching All Canadians Strategy to improve service delivery outcomes for all clients, including Black Canadians. This includes informing marginalized and underserved populations about Government of Canada programs, services and benefits, and about how to access them. Finally, the Department is empowering representative organizations to determine funding distribution, based on their grassroots knowledge of community needs.As part of ESDCs Supporting Black Communities Initiative, ESDC led a 3million call for proposals which was open to Black-led, not-for-profit organizations seeking to improve their workplaces and community spaces. The Department also established an intermediary network with three high-capacity organizations. This intermediary network supports the For Us By Us philosophy, as communicated by stakeholders in Black communities.
RCMP The RCMP is committed to treating all members of the public and its employees with dignity and respect, and to addressing systemic racism, which includes anti-Black racism. The RCMP is advancing important people-focused change initiatives to modernize and strengthen workplace culture and promote equitable policing in an inclusive way. To support this work, the organization launched its first comprehensive Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy - Setting A Foundation: Serving Employees and Communities with Dignity and Respect the EDI Strategy, which introduced key actions to cultivate an inclusive workplace, achieve a diverse workforce and rebuild trust with diverse communities. The RCMP is also supporting employee networks and providing safe spaces for employees to engage in discussions and activities that inform decision-making to advance equity and inclusion. The presence of these forums has proven to be essential to build a foundation for change and to deliver on commitments made through the EDI Strategy. RCMP senior management, internal partners, and external stakeholders are collaborating to address solutions related to cultural shift. To address systemic racism within operations and dealings with the public, the RCMP is developing a race-based data collection strategy to examine its interactions with the public through an equity lens, which will highlight any disparities and disproportionalities that may exist for Black and racialized individuals and groups. The data will allow the RCMP to use an evidence-based framework to develop solutions for addressing inequities in its service delivery through enhancements to its training, policies and practices and overall culture. This strategy will be developed in consultation with Black, Indigenous and racialized communities, academics and subject matter experts with the results publicly communicated to ensure transparency and build trust within the communities the RCMP serves. The RCMP is deploying an intercultural learning strategy that provides learning products to advance education and understanding of anti-racism, equity and inclusion both with the communities we serve, and within our workforce. The training to address systemic racism was developed with a team of internal and external experts, researchers, and learning designers. This learning will advance employee understanding of systemic and individual racism within a policing perspective. The learning series is also informed through extensive consultation with advisory committees, recognized external subject matter experts, other government departments, and other policing agencies. The coming year will see a continued focus on using learning to create a baseline of knowledge and organizational expectations regarding anti-racism, diversity and inclusion. This includes promoting learning material available through the Canada School of Public Service, the Canadian Police Knowledge Network, and other external sources, in addition to the development and promotion of RCMP-developed training material. All of these activities will continue to be done in consultation with internal and external experts and community members.