Victoria – The Province will consult with community stakeholders to develop a racist incident hotline in response to the recent increase in racist activities throughout B.C.
In Vancouver, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased over 700% in 2020 compared to the previous year.
The hotline is intended to be a multilingual service, not delivered by police, for British Columbians to report racist incidents and receive support and referrals.
For more information on engagement on anti-racism initiatives, visit: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/antiracism
For more information about the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network, visit: https://www.resiliencebc.ca/
“Government has a moral and ethical responsibility to tackle discrimination in all its forms,” said Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives.
The hotline is not intended to replace emergency response services in situations where the safety and security of British Columbians are in danger. However, the hotline will provide a culturally safe venue for racialized British Columbians to report incidents, validate their experiences and obtain support services.
The data collected from the hotline will be used to support future anti-racism initiatives, including legislation that will pave the way for race-based data collection. By identifying areas of increased racist incidents through the hotline, government can use the data to inform future actions to combat racism.
Consultations with Indigenous partners and other racialized groups related to race-based data collection is underway, with broader public engagement planned for this summer.
