The provincial government has released a 37-point action plan to address racism in the public service and it includes a two-year timeline.
Attorney General Niki Sharma released the Anti-Racism Action Plan during a press conference in Surrey Monday (June 1). She was joined by Amna Shah, parliamentary secretary of anti-racism initiatives, and Hasan Alam, the chair of the Provincial Committee on Anti-Racism.
The Anti-Racism Action Plan includes 37 “commitments” – 15 to address racism affecting First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples and 22 to address racism affecting racialized communities, including Muslim and Jewish people – for 17 core government ministries and agencies aimed at creating more equitable access to public services.
The action plan gives a timeline of June 2026 to May 2028 to address the commitments. The next action plan will be released in 2028.
The plan is partly informed by the 2022 Anti-Racism Data Act.
Sharma explained that ministries will each have their own actions, such as developing more culturally appropriate services in healthcare or making sure the Ministry of Citizens’ Services is using ethical AI. Each ministry will have a delivery and accountability plan.
The 37 commitments cover jobs, healthcare, public safety, education, labour, children and family services, the legal system, climate response, finance, municipal affairs and the public service.
“It was really important to me and everybody when we did this that they were concrete actions that could be done and should be done, and that they had the buy-in of all the leaders.”
The government highlighted some of the commitments.
Protecting workers
Sharma specifically pointed to the exploitation of workers. She said many of the people gathered Monday have “horror stories of people investing their entire life savings into hiring consultants who promise them the world only then to disappear and leave them stranded.”
The Anti-Racism Data Act found that temporary foreign workers, international students, newcomers to B.C. and racialized people working in the gig economy can face a higher risk of abuse and exploitation in the labour force.
The action plan includes several commitments including:
• Strengthening the legal oversight of immigration consultants and reviewing how regulatory bodies that assess the validity of foreign professional credentials
• Reviewing employment standards and legal protections for temporary foreign workers and gig workers
Ethical use of AI and other emerging technologies
Sharma said AI is becoming “increasingly present” in all parts of society, noting there is “tremendous potential for AI tools to substantially improve how government works for people.” However, she said the government needs to be careful that the AI it uses doesn’t carry racist biases and end up worsening existing disparities.
Through the action plan, the government is tasked with establishing a standard for ethical use of AI in government.
The action plan also includes exploring how AI can be used to counter historical marginalization of Indigenous and racialized people and improve their life outcomes.
Racism in healthcare
The 2020 In Plain Sight report, Sharma said, was “a real example of the barriers that Indigenous people face when they are accessing health-care services that was backed up by further data that we released.”
As a result of Indigenous and racialized people experiencing stereotyping, racism and discrimination in B.C.’s health-care system, they may be less inclined to seek care in the future.
The action plan includes several commitments for healthcare:
• Establish a new centre for anti-racism and cultural safety within the Ministry of Health to lead and co-ordinate efforts to eliminate Indigenous-specific racism in health care
• Adapt chronic-disease programs and supports to better reflect the needs and experiences of racialized communities
• Set learning expectations for all health-care workers on Indigenous-specific racism and how to provide culturally safe care
The justice system
In Sharma’s own ministry, the government says that historical and ongoing experiences of discrimination have contributed to lower trust in the justice system among many Indigenous and racialized people. That can affect whether they report crimes and their interactions with the justice system.
Action items for the justice system include:
• Piloting a Red Dress alert system to support timely and co-ordinated responses when Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people go missing
• Establishing a First Nation safety officer program to support community-based safety initiatives and enforcement
• Providing funding for legal, mental health, healing and community-based supports for people and communities affected by racism