THE Province has taken another to improve access to government programs and services for Indigenous Peoples and racialized communities, with the release of 12 priorities for anti-racism research.

Seven research priorities were put forward by the provincial Anti-Racism Data Committee. Indigenous Peoples recommended three research priorities and two priorities that set out how the Province should approach this research.

“Systemic racism and other forms of discrimination have shaped the delivery of government programs and services for generations,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Citizens’ Services, on Monday. “These research priorities will keep us focused on the areas that matter most to Indigenous Peoples and racialized communities, while we continue to take action to eliminate systemic racism in all our programs and services.”

The Anti-Racism Data Act (ARDA), which came into effect in June 2022, enables the safe collection and use of personal information for the purposes of identifying and eliminating systemic racism and advancing racial equity. ARDA requires the Province to establish and publish research priorities every two years, and annually release statistics or other information related to systemic racism and racial equity. ARDA also requires that the research priorities and information releases be done in a way that respects different cultures and minimizes harms to Indigenous Peoples and racialized communities.

“Everyone deserves equitable access to the public services they need,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “These priorities were identified by people who are most impacted by systemic racism and provide a roadmap for how government can meaningfully improve services for more people.”

The implementation of ARDA aims to increase trust, transparency and accountability with Indigenous Peoples and racialized communities through continued collaboration on data initiatives under the act.

“The Anti-Racism Data Committee has built a foundation of trust, a climate of collaboration and a deep commitment to communities that have helped us to recommend the priorities that will drive research on systemic racism in government programs for the next two years,” said June Francis, chair, Anti-Racism Data Committee. “As we work toward racial equity, it was challenging for the committee to choose areas of focus as there are no ‘low’ priorities in this work. These research priorities will lead to insights that can be translated into tangible actions and change that should be felt by racialized people across B.C.”

Along with the research priorities, the Province released two other documents. The first-year progress report outlines the work done under ARDA over the past year. It includes information about important milestones like the creation and function of the Anti-Racism Data Committee and details about consultation and co-operation with Indigenous Peoples.

“The Anti-Racism Data Act is being implemented in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and racialized communities,” said Mable Elmore, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives. “The research priorities not only outline our path forward but illustrate our commitment to transparency and collaboration every step of the way.”

The Guide on Using Categorical Race and Ethnicity Variables supports anti-racism research by giving practical advice to researchers about how to use race and ethnicity data in reporting, research and evaluation projects. It summarizes a best practices checklist to ensure data about race is used appropriately and includes nine recommendations with examples, case studies and a self-assessment.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Anti-Racism Data Act and actions to date, visit: https://antiracism.gov.bc.ca/

BACKGROUNDER
Anti-racism research priorities

The Anti-Racism Data Act (ARDA), which came into effect in June 2022, requires the Province to establish and release research priorities every two years by June 1, and release statistics or other information related to systemic racism and racial equity on an annual basis.

The research priorities were developed in collaboration with the Anti-Racism Data Committee and Indigenous partners, including representatives of First Nations governments and Métis Nation British Columbia.

Eighty priority topics were initially identified and shared with the Anti-Racism Data Committee and Indigenous Peoples, who used this information to guide discussions and determine what research priorities were most important to them.

The seven research priorities identified by the Anti-Racism Data Committee for 2023-2025 are:

* racial diversity within the BC Public Service and equity in hiring and career development;

* interactions with the justice system and analysis of complaints model;

* health outcomes, building upon the health-system performance framework to understand how the system is performing for different demographic groups;

* understanding how students across demographic groups access and use education supports and their outcomes (from early childhood through to post-secondary education);

* children, youth and family wellness in home and away from home;

* economic inclusion, including analysis of unpaid work and foreign credential recognition; and

* homelessness, housing supply and security.

The five priorities identified by Indigenous Peoples, include three research priorities:

* health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples to understand experiences from an intersectional and holistic perspective;

* education outcomes for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students from kindergarten to Grade 12 to understand experiences, including their access to and use of available supports; and

* social determinants of safety from a holistic lens and fill related data gaps.

And two priorities that set out how government should approach anti-racism research:

* commitment to Section 3.14 of the Declaration Act Action Plan: Advance the collection and use of disaggregated demographic data, guided by a distinctions-based approach to Indigenous data sovereignty and self-determination, including supporting the establishment of a First-Nations-governed and mandated regional data governance centre in alignment with the First Nations Data Governance Strategy; and

* research will be conducted using a distinctions-based approach that acknowledges, respects and upholds the distinct rights of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.