Orders of the Day

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

Deputy Speaker: I understand the member for West Vancouver–Capilano has an introduction to make.

[10:05 a.m.]

Does the House give leave for the member for West Vancouver–Capilano to make an introduction?

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate it. I am very proud and excited today to introduce you to my daughter, Kaelan McKechnie, who has joined us here today. Like many young people in their last year of high school, Kaelan has had a very unusual grade 12 year, but I’m very proud of how dedicated she’s been in school.

I remember that school was hard enough in our days, but throw a pandemic into the mix and I can’t imagine how difficult it’s been. Kaelan’s smart. She’s very kind. She’s a great athlete. I learn from her every day. She has a sense of maturity beyond her years. I’m so very grateful for her and grateful that she can be here today to see what we do. I, of course, have absolutely no bias in my description of her.

Please join me in welcoming Kaelan to the House and wishing her happiness as she moves into this next phase of her life.

Private Members’ Statements

TEMPORARY FOREIGN FARMWORKERS’
WORKING CONDITIONS

M. Starchuk: During my four years on council with the city of Surrey, I was the chair of the agriculture advisory committee, and during that time, I acquired a good working knowledge of the problems and difficulties of our local area farmers.

In my riding of Surrey-Cloverdale, there are 2,440 hectares of land inside of the ALR. To put that in context, the ALR lands in my suburban riding are six times the land mass of Stanley Park. In 2019, I was asked to assist with a farm in my riding, Green Leaf Farm, with upgrading and modernizing their production and housing for temporary foreign farmworkers. We were working towards a gold standard dormitory for temporary foreign workers that was not only spacious and safe, but environmentally friendly, with solar panels, green roofs and green walls.

While assisting Green Leaf Farm, I was asked by the Mexican consulate to meet with them, to see if we could find a solution to some of the living conditions their Mexican temporary farmworkers were dealing with. I was provided with some insight as to the living conditions which some temporary foreign farmworkers were living in across the province. To be clear, the majority of the farm operators were providing safe, clean and spacious housing conditions.

The standards for these temporary foreign farmworkers are regulated by a federal guideline that ensures the provisions of space for sleeping, space for cooking and space for recreating. The issue with these federal regulations was providing annual follow-up inspections to ensure that these workers are residing in safe living and working conditions.

With my background in the fire service as a chief fire prevention officer, conversations began with various fire departments throughout the province of B.C. to try to identify a solution. I personally felt that the temporary farmworker living spaces needed to be inspected at least once a year, at the beginning of the growing season, to ensure that the building and fire code requirements were well maintained.

When COVID-19 struck, the project with the Mexican consulate stopped. But I’m proud to say that the B.C. government continued their work to protect these workers, who are vital to the production of food across the province of B.C. Our government is committed to protecting the foreign workers who are working in our province and supporting our economy. We’re recognizing the importance of foreign workers.

Our government has established a government-run isolation program, where we provided support to workers while they completed their 14-day isolation. We welcomed over 7,600 foreign workers through this program and supported 102 of those who tested positive for COVID. To further support the foreign workers, the B.C. government has conducted over 1,200 inspections of farms since the beginning of the pandemic. These inspections are to ensure that the on-farm accommodations are compliant with COVID protocols.

Temporary foreign workers deserve to be treated fairly while working in B.C., with protection that ensures that their rights are protected. That is why we put the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act in place. This act protects the workers from unfair recruiters and employers and illegal practices, such as an employer or a recruiter taking a foreign worker’s passport, or misrepresentation of the job opportunity.

[10:10 a.m.]

We can now also hold recruiters and employers ac­countable when there are violations. We are working across government to make sure that these vulnerable workers are protected, especially during the time of COVID-19. In 2019, we established a licensing requirement for recruiters of foreign workers, and 162 recruiters are now licensed and in good standing in B.C. Certain employers who wish to hire temporary foreign workers in B.C. are now required, by law, to be registered with the province, and we have over 3,000 employers registered. This registry will truly make a difference.

Our government can now identify and track employers who hire vulnerable temporary foreign workers, and we’re able to inspect these employers. We also prevent employers who are not complying with B.C. legislation from hiring temporary foreign workers through the new registration process. This means people who come here from abroad are paid for the hours that they work, for the job that they were hired for, and their rights and safety while on the job are protected. Temporary foreign workers deserve to be treated fairly while working in B.C., with protections that ensure their rights are protected.

These are what should be considered basic rights for any farmworker across B.C. and across the world. These are many of the same issues that face Sikh, Punjabi and Indian farmers that are fighting from halfway around the world against the Indian government. Much like the struggles of temporary farmworkers here in British Columbia, we see similar echoes halfway across the world in Punjab and India, with a struggle that deeply resonates with my constituents in my riding of Surrey-Cloverdale. I am referring to the ongoing farmers protest movement against the injustices faced by the Sikh, Punjabi and Indian farmers.

In September 2020, three farm bills were passed by the Indian government without adequate and meaningful consultation or debate. The targets of these laws? The farmers. They’ve decried them, not only to their existential rights and to their livelihoods but, especially for Sikhs and Punjabis, for their very way of life. Therefore, the peaceful movement that first spearheaded in Punjab marched and set up camp on the borders of Delhi to become what has been dubbed the largest protest in history. That was 116 days ago.

As we enter the seventh month of this movement, almost 300 farmworkers have died. The response from the Indian government is characterized by violence, disinformation and prohibition of access to essential resources. Among regularly occurring arbitrary arrests, not only journalists but even writers of popular protest songs have been picked up and subject to violence.

We need to amplify our collective voice against the socioeconomic injustices and discrimination faced by farmers, whether they be here at home in British Columbia or abroad in Punjab. I encourage all members of this House to show solidarity with the collective struggles of both our temporary farmworkers alongside the Sikh and Punjabi farmers, as well as the latter’s democratic right to protest.

B. Banman: I rise in the House today to speak in response to the member for Surrey-Cloverdale’s motion on temporary foreign farmworkers’ conditions.

Over the past year, many members in this House have risen to talk about the stoppages and disruptions our many businesses and industries have experienced since March 2020. There are not enough hours in the day for us to thank the many different workers in the many different sectors of our economy that have faced incredible challenges and gone above and beyond to deliver the goods and services to British Columbians, in their day-to-day lives, throughout the pandemic.

While the spotlight has been shone on many of our essential workers serving the front line in our fight against the pandemic, our neighbourhoods never banged pots and pans for the thousands of British Columbians who have ensured that even when we closed up our offices and worked from home, our grocery stores and restaurants could still stay stocked and operational.

[10:15 a.m.]

I grew up on a farm, and I know all too well that, even in the best of times, the work of a farmer is no easy job. It requires you to be up at the crack of dawn and often working into the late hours of the evening. It requires skills in a wide variety of fields. A farmer’s life isn’t an easy one, but you’d never find a better group of people who uphold the values of family, friendship, community and kindness, all the things that make our province one of the best places to call home.

I would like to thank the member for bringing to light the struggles of Punjab. We share many of the same Sikh farmers from Punjab, and I stand with those farmers as well.

I’d like to thank the member for bringing forward this motion. It is fitting that today — the day we acknowledge the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — we remember the diversity and inclusiveness that define our province’s agricultural industry. Whether they’re first generation or have been farming for generations, our farmers come from all cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities — from South Asian to Japanese, Chinese, Latin American, European and, of course, many of our Indigenous groups, including the Sema:th and Matsqui in my own region of Abbotsford South.

Abbotsford has one of the largest and most diverse agricultural operations anywhere in British Columbia, if not Canada, growing everything from potatoes, carrots, hops, barley, blueberries, raspberries, cabbage, broccoli, apples, nuts, mushrooms, dairy, beef, chicken and other livestock, and that’s just to name a few. The cultures that make up our agricultural industry are as rich as the soil they work on and as diverse as the crops they grow. Bottom line. Abbotsford knows a thing or two about farming, backwards and forwards.

Of course, our appreciation for farmers must extend even beyond our own domestic farmers. The phenomenal agricultural output of our province would not be possible without the incredible work of temporary foreign workers.

To meet our ever-growing demand for food and produce, British Columbia depends on more than 11,000 foreign workers from countries around the world, who come to Canada to assist our farmers in the busiest parts of the season. These workers come to British Columbia to work on farms across the province, from tree fruit to greenhouses, berries, livestock and every other form of agriculture. These workers, as well as temporary foreign workers in other industries, help fill vital labour gaps in our province and help drive our economy forward.

Among the many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic was ensuring temporary foreign workers could safely return to work in Canada to carry out their vital roles and bring the wages and support they earn back to their families. It became absolutely vital.

I think everyone in the House can agree that all workers in this province deserve to have a safe workplace. Thanks to the diligent work of countless administrations, as farmers around the province, we have found a way to do so.

This process is not perfect. We must continue to find ways to make it more cost-effective and efficient for our farmers and as safe as possible for our temporary foreign workers. We must remember and honour the magnitude of this undertaking over the past 12 months.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to all our farmers, who took the necessary steps to ensure the agricultural industry could once again become a home for our temporary foreign workers. I know there are many farmers in Abbotsford and across the Fraser Valley and the province that have gone above and beyond to ensure we can still count on our agriculture industry to carry out its vital role, in what has undoubtedly become one of the most challenging years in recent history.

M. Starchuk: I concur with the member for Abbotsford South. Farming is important to our economy. I often say I didn’t get to this size if I didn’t like to eat. If it wasn’t for our farmers, I wouldn’t be here where I am today.

I’m the first generation non-farmer in my family. My mother was a farmer. My grandmother was a farmer. My great-grandmother, who is known to the west coast of this island as Cougar Annie, was a farmer as well. For me to stand here in the House…. It is an honour to talk about my riding of Surrey-Cloverdale, which at one time was referred to as the “salad bowl” of British Columbia.

Temporary foreign farmworkers are an essential part of our economy and our agriculture, and we need them. We’re standing here today to talk about their rights that they should have, the dignity that they should have. The jobs that they’ve been brought here to do are the work that they’re actually here to do.

[10:20 a.m.]

Too many times, we hear the story of the bad employer and the bad conditions which they’re working in. And we understand that. What our job is, is to ensure that when these workers come up here, they’re protected, first and foremost, during the pandemic, from COVID-19, but, secondly, from those employers that are less than scrupulous. We want to make sure that all of the workers’ protections are there so that they can do a good job that they come up here to do.

In a farm that’s just around the corner from my riding, Evergreen Herbs, they have temporary foreign workers that come up every season. They look forward to the work that they do. They are great workers and they provide a great service. That’s why we stand here collectively supporting this motion to ensure that our temporary foreign workers are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

FARMERS MARKETS

I. Paton: It’s always a pleasure any time I’m able to speak about one of my great passions, and that is B.C. agriculture. Specifically, I want to talk about some of the prime venues for helping people to access the fresh, local, in-season foods that they desire. I’m talking about B.C.’s farmers markets.

These markets serve as an important way for local farmers and makers to showcase their goods to British Columbians, who increasingly show a preference for buying local. In choosing to buy locally made and locally grown items, visitors are supporting farmers and other local businesses in strengthening the local economy. In my riding of Delta South, the Ladner Village Market will be marking its 25th anniversary this year.

The McKnight family has done a wonderful job in creating one of western Canada’s largest open-air markets. It’s not only a special gathering place for friends, family and the community; it has become a destination outing for visitors from across the Lower Mainland and beyond.

I’m always amazed at the popularity of the Ladner farmers market on Sundays, where people come from all over B.C. just to act as vendors, whether they’re from Vancouver Island or from Merritt or from Kamloops or from Princeton, to sell their goods that are made locally. I’m always amazed at how many people attend Ladner Market from throughout the Lower Mainland. When we get them into the village of Ladner, they also get to see the wonderful restaurants and small shops that we have. We get them back on future weekends to come and enjoy some of the great things we have in our town of Ladner, and also Tsawwassen.

This market is guided by the make it, bake it, or grow it philosophy in Ladner and helps connect consumers to the individuals who work hard to grow and create their products. It also ensures that the goods and merchandise at the Ladner market are quality goods, homemade and home-crafted, rather than cheap trinkets and goods imported from overseas. Market vendors are vetted to be sure their products are of excellent B.C. quality and craftsmanship. I know I love to head there to purchase locally raised beef or poultry and fabulous home-baked pies loaded with B.C. fruit and berries, so that I can enjoy a lovely summer dinner with my wife, Pam, with the knowledge of how that food got to our plates.

The B.C. Association of Farmers Markets notes that the fresh produce usually travels less than 300 kilometers to get to you. Contrast that with the average North American meal, which travels about 2,400 kilometres to get to your plate. The offerings to B.C. farmers markets are so varied, from meat and eggs to fruit and vegetables to artisans, cheeses and beverages. I could go on and on.

This reminds me of my private member’s bill of July 2020, known as the Home-Based Craft Food Act. As we have all witnessed the effects of COVID-19 on large-scale, multinational packing and processing plants and interruptions to incoming food products from the south, it is vitally important to offer up exciting new opportunities for B.C. farmers, large and small, to make and bake locally grown meat, fruit and produce.

But farmers markets are not just about fresh produce and edible goods. Visitors also have an opportunity to peruse non-farm items. Unfortunately, due to public health orders, which are important to keep all British Columbians safe and protected from COVID-19, there was an interruption in their availability at markets over the past year. Non-food vendors simply weren’t able to take part and share their wares. This was devastating to many artisans and crafters, whose income and livelihoods depend on that participation.

[10:25 a.m.]

That’s why I joined numerous community members and stakeholders to make the case to government that non-food vendors should safely sell their goods by abiding by the same health and safety measures utilized by food vendors. While we are fully supportive of measures to keep people safe during this global pandemic, we knew that non-food vendors would follow the same guidelines around mask wearing, physical distancing and hand sanitizing that we were already seeing at the markets and larger stores in our communities. Organizers of farmers markets held outdoors, I should add, have been diligent in implementing the health measures needed to keep shoppers and vendors safe.

We made the case again and again that non-food producers should be able to return to the markets to sell goods like flowers, clothing, beauty products, jewelry and home decor items as they have done safely and successfully in the past. These crafters have produced goods throughout the winter and were eager to share them with consumers this coming season. I would also add that many of these vendors likely do not qualify for the government small and medium-sized business recovery grant program. So participating in this year’s farmers markets would be vital for these artisans to stay in business.

Additionally, the Vancouver Farmers Markets organization notes that many markets rely on non-food vendors to remain viable, thanks to the stall fees they pay that offset operating costs. Non-food vendors make a substantial contribution to our markets and our communities, and to our local economy as well. So I’m absolutely thrilled with the good news that our voices were heard and that they will be able to participate this year.

However, just this morning the B.C. Association of Farmers Markets were on CKNW saying: “What’s happening? What’s gone haywire now? You’re telling us we have to be two metres apart. We could simply put in plexiglass between the vendors.” These farmers markets need to get as many as they can in there to make it profitable, and suddenly there’s an announcement that they have to be two metres apart.

I mean, if we’re going to encourage British Columbians to buy local, you certainly cannot get more local than a farmers market. Summer farmers markets are about to get underway in numerous communities across B.C. in April, which is just a couple of weeks away. Many others will commence in the coming months. I know we all look forward to purchasing and enjoying the plentiful offerings of these hard-working folks.

Thank you, and I look forward to the remarks by the member opposite.

B. D’Eith: Thanks to the member for Delta South for bringing forward this statement today on farmers markets. I’m actually lucky to have two farmers markets in my riding: Haney Farmers Market and the Mission City Farmers Market. The Haney Farmers Market is run by the Fraser North Farmers Market Society. Melissa Maltais is the executive director, and Sophie Towne the market manager, and Meg Railton is the online farmers market manager. It’s held in Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge on Saturdays from July to October, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Just like the member opposite, I have incredible, fond memories of visiting farmers markets with my family and with the MLA for Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows and grab­bing a coffee from Candace Gordon, who is one of our biggest champions for farmers markets, and listening to local music from local performers and purchasing amazing food, locally sourced, and crafts from vendors.

It’s so important; it’s such an important part of Maple Ridge and the community on Saturdays. It gives people a chance to meet and support farm products and local crafts. The same can be said for the Mission City Farmers Market, which is held at…. Now it’s at 7337 Welton Street in Mission. It’s usually from Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Karen McDiarmid is the manager, and the president of the society is Michael Gildersleeve.

I’m always honoured to open the market every year and share the stage with local Indigenous Stó:lō leaders and the mayor, who now happens to be the member for Abbotsford-Mission, to celebrate locally sourced food and locally produced arts and crafts. It’s wonderful to visit the Seasonal Canvas Farm, Mandep Boulder farm, Georgia Belle All Natural Soap and Skin Care, and many other booths.

If you go to the farmers market in Mission, you will always see Sherry Edmunds at Emma’s Acres booth. Emma’s Acres provides a very unique service through the LINC Society, which helps prison inmates near release to integrate back into society by providing work for them on the farm. In turn, they provide produce for those impacted by crime, free of charge, at the market.

[10:30 a.m.]

Now, during the pandemic, farmers markets were la­beled as essential service last year, because they provide food and help feed our communities. Decisions around public health orders like the ones currently in place are made by the public health officer and are always made with public health and safety at the forefront.

In addition, recognizing British Columbians’ reliance on farmers markets for fresh food and other products, the government was a quick partner with the B.C. Association of Farmers Markets, early in the pandemic last spring, to help them pivot to the online model. We saw over 70 farm markets launch online virtual stores. They sold over $2.5 million in online sales, including non-food vendors, which is wonderful. Right now you can go to farmersandmore.org for the Haney Farmers Market and buy online. You can pick that up on Saturdays at the Golden Ears United Church in Maple Ridge. It’s wonderful to have that service, in addition to the in-community service.

We continue to listen to feedback from stakeholders and respond. One of the things I’ve always loved is the coupon program that actually helps get nutritious food to people who are in need of a little help. This year I’m once again happy to be supporting the coupon program across my riding, joining the members for Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows and Abbotsford-Mission in supporting this great cause. I challenge all members to do the same in their ridings.

If you want to, you can go to bcfarmersmarket.org/coupon-program, and you can participate. Farmers markets are so important to our community in bringing people together, supporting local food and crafts and providing some help to people in need, with healthy food. I can’t emphasize how important they are to supporting food security and our local food markets.

Thanks again to the member for Delta South for bringing this important statement forward today. Of course, I think we and all the members in this House share an affinity for our farmers markets and how important they are for our communities. We all support them.

I. Paton: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous challenges for business owners of all kinds. Luckily, farmers markets are one way that B.C. farmers, ranchers, fishers, producers and processors are still able to share their food products with British Columbians, who increasingly want to purchase local goods. I want to reiterate my excitement and relief that the non-food vendors, the growers, crafters, artisans and makers will be able to join them once again. Now that they will be back in the fold, British Columbians can enjoy their products and support these makers in B.C.’s economy at the same time.

As we tour this province of ours, it is important to understand the vast difference between rural life and urban life. As farmers markets are part of the vital economic and social fabric of small communities, so too are annual events such as rodeos, country fairs, equestrian events, tractor pulls, ploughing matches and farm auctions. These events, along with farmers markets, are so important to small towns in B.C. that depend on one or two of these events each year to draw in the outsiders, the city folk who load up the camper and motor home and head off on their favourite summer vacation, possibly decked out in their Wrangler jeans, their western boots and their cowboy hats.

Rodeos and farm fairs are near and dear to my background and upbringing. They provide economic input to stock contractors, motels, campgrounds, RV parks, restaurants and coffee shops. They also provide excellent opportunities for local vendors to offer their artisans’ goods for sale. Best of all, these events offer the excitement and competitive juices to our young folk, who look forward to the summer 4-H show circuit. I’m urging this government to move forward quickly with urgently needed answers for rodeos and fairs, whose organizers need to know as soon as possible if they can get plans in place for this spring’s, summer’s and fall’s rodeo circuit.

As I close out my remarks, I want to touch on another important facet of B.C.’s wonderful farmers markets. It’s a program that our B.C. Liberal government funded through grants to the B.C. Association of Farmers Markets. I’m pleased to see it continue under our current government as well. It’s called the farmers market nutrition coupon program, and it provides coupons each week for participants to spend like cash at their local farmers market. This program supports lower-income seniors and families, providing them access to healthy, nutritious ingredients. The association also pairs up with its member markets, with one or more community agencies that operate a cooking and skill-building program. The farmers market nutrition coupon program helps build healthier communities.

[10:35 a.m.]

It’s a fantastic initiative that I support wholeheartedly, and I certainly hope that we see this program continue well into the future. I also hope all members will think about how they can support their local farmers, ranchers, fishers, processors, crafters and artisans. As the farmers market season kicks into high gear, I urge all British Columbians to visit your local farmers market so that you can enjoy the wide variety of locally made goods they will be selling.

RACISM AND TECHNOLOGY

B. Bailey: Artificial intelligence relies on massive amounts of data in order to be trained to identify and learn. But where that data comes from and who it represents leads to the learning and the ability for the AI to become what the designers intended.

An easy example of this going spectacularly wrong occurred in 2015, when Microsoft launched Tay, a Twitter bot that the company described as an experiment in conversational understanding. The more you chat with Tay, said Microsoft, the smarter it gets, learning to engage people through casual and playful conversation. This was a machine-learning experiment, where the AI learned in real time by engaging with humans on Twitter. The experiment lasted less than 24 hours. Tay began by greeting humans and engaging playfully, but it didn’t take long before it began to spew racial hatred, misogynistic drivel and Nazi propaganda.

Like many B.C.’ers, I love technology. I love the capacity to create human connection, watching a grandparent and a child connect over their iPads, sharing across distance and the generational divide. I live in awe that while we’re here, videoconferencing, the Mars rover Perseverance, nicknamed Percy, is collecting data 250 million kilometres away, and I can watch it on YouTube. I love that once difficult-to-teach manoeuvres in surgery can be taught through virtual reality, and that protective equipment can be printed on 3D printers. But despite these incredible advances, technology also poses serious risks to our well being, one of which is the perpetration of racism.

Technology is not dispersed equally, nor are the negative consequences of our errors in how we create technology. When we consider the question of race and technology, there are a number of different ways to look at it. We could talk about intentional racism, despicable behaviour that occurs online, often anonymously. We could look at the fact that much of our technology is created by a very specific subsection of society and that there are inherent consequences to who writes our code. But this morning, I’d like to speak about unconscious bias and the nondeliberate racism in technology.

One hundred years ago one’s tools were inherently non-biased. One’s plow or hammer didn’t come with particular values, although left-handed people might take issue with this characterization. We think of technology as providing us with new tools. But the difference is that technology — in particular, digital technology — is value-laden. Let me give some examples to explain. Most people today see resource allocation by algorithms as fair and objective. After all, digital technology is just applied science, so how is it racist or sexist? We assume that computers do not bring their own intentions into decision-making and are free from emotion. But is this true? Let’s look at two recent examples, both out of the U.S.

A large corporation created AI to assist in hiring the best possible candidates. By electing to remove individual humans from the review of résumés, the company assumed that they would also remove racial and gender bias in hiring, assuming that a computer does not be­have in a biased manner. The program crawled current employee data to assess the traits that were associated with the top performers in the organization. By identifying these traits, the software would then comb applicants’ résumés for like traits. It seems reasonable. AI can do this all very successfully and very quickly, speeding up the entire hiring process.

It was an unmitigated failure, because the data collected included inherent bias. The company, like so many of our workplaces, included many years and layers of preference for white male employees. These employees had similar traits, exactly the traits that the software then learned and was trained to search for in new candidates, thus ensuring homogeneity and that people of colour and women would not be included on the list of recruits.

[10:40 a.m.]

In this case, the error was obvious, and the program was scrapped. But often these types of outcomes are more subtle. They’re not overt, and they’re not scrapped. The issue is that racism exists in our institutions, in our history, in our communities and in our social interactions. As we design technology and write algorithms, the people who most understand the complexity of racism and how it lives in our institutions are not the same people who are writing the algorithms. One does not go into computer science and become trained in the history of racism, nor study critical race theory.

Another area ripe with difficulty is facial recognition. We unlock our iPhones with a glance and wonder how Facebook knew how to tag us in that photo. But facial recognition, the technology behind these features, is more than just a gimmick. It’s employed for law enforcement surveillance, airport passenger screening, employment and housing decisions.

Despite widespread adoption, facial recognition was recently banned by police and local agencies in many U.S. cities. Why? Of the dominant biometrics in use — fingerprints, iris, palm, voice and face — facial recognition is the least accurate, and it’s rife with privacy and racism concerns. Facial recognition algorithms boast high classification accuracy, over 90 percent, but these outcomes are not shared equally across the board.

In the landmark 2018 gender shades project, which applied an intersectional lens of analysis, it was found that algorithms performed the worst on darker-skinned fe­males, with error rates of up to 34 percent higher than for lighter-skinned males. These compelling results have prompted immediate responses, shaping an ongoing discourse around the equality in facial recognition software. Both IBM and Microsoft announced steps to reduce bias by modifying testing cohorts and improving data collection on specific demographics. Improvements have been made. However, Amazon’s response was defensive, al­leging issues with the auditor’s methodology rather than addressing the racial bias. As Amazon has marketed its technology to law enforcement, these discrepancies are very concerning.

Companies that provide these services have a responsibility to ensure they’re equitable, both in their technologies and in their applications. They have a moral obligation to ensure that the data used to create AI is not skewed. We need social scientists working alongside our technologists to create the AI of the future. As policy-makers and legislators, we too must consider these issues and rid ourselves of the incorrect notion that technology is race-agnostic. It is not.

B. Stewart: It’s a pleasure today to rise in this House. Thank you to the member opposite. Those remarks were very well researched and intriguing.

You know, on this day, the day after we recognize the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we need to acknowledge the continued existence of racism in our society and take steps to combat it.

During my time as the Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism, I visited many communities across B.C. It reminded me firsthand of what it was like in the diverse and multicultural province that we live in, having grown up in the Okanagan on our farms — of diversity with Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Dutch, Germans, Hungarians, South Asians and local First Nations all working on these farms and of how important it is to celebrate that fact. In government, I was passionate about taking steps to ensure that everyone in B.C. feels comfortable and safe, celebrating their heritage and culture, while working to create a more inclusive society.

I fondly remember the 2010 Olympics, when we welcomed people from around the globe to our beautiful province. It was amazing to play a role in an event that so clearly celebrated diversity and people having pride in their culture. It reinforced the importance of people having the freedom to embrace their culture and heritage without fear of discrimination or abuse. There should be no tolerance for racism in our society. I know that later this morning we’re going to hear from other members of this House to speak to this in more detail.

This past year has shown us that racism still exists in our world, but hopefully, it has also encouraged each one of us to work harder and fight discrimination and hate. I know that every member of this House is committed to combatting racism in all of its forms. That includes when technology is involved.

[10:45 a.m.]

Over the past two decades, our world has become much more dependent on technology, particularly the Internet. Increasingly, we spend more time in online spaces. That means many of the problems British Columbians en­counter in their day-to-day life are mirrored in online interactions. Racism is a problem online, as it is in the rest of society. Bullying and harassment are all-too-frequent experiences for people on social media, and we need to ensure that our efforts to combat racism do not leave out the Internet.

This kind of online safety was something that we began to think about when I was the Minister of Citizens’ Services. It was a time when people were demanding more speed and rapidly embracing technology and access to the Internet. We had to think constantly about the government perspective and how we could protect British Columbians online.

We know that technology is a tool that can be both helpful and hurtful. Recently I had the opportunity to hear Telus talk about its anti-bullying program specifically targeted at ending online bullying, something that currently impacts more than one million Canadian kids every month. They want to educate parents, students and teachers on cyberbullying, providing them with resources to empower kids to drive change and to bring an end to bullying online.

One aspect of their program is their anti-bullying pledge, which they invite everyone to take on their website. It’s a commitment to being kind and respectful online and stepping in when others are being bullied. We need initiatives like this which seek to make online spaces safe and inclusive, to teach us to be more aware of the way that we treat people and to intervene when people are being treated badly. They’re absolutely vital in changing the way that people interact on social media, which is an important step in our wider effort to bring a more compassionate and equitable world.

I hope that in this House, we can continue to have conversations on important topics like this which force us to take a look at our world and what we need to do to improve the lives of British Columbians. As elected officials, we have a responsibility to look out for the safety of everyone in our province, whether it’s when they’re online or walking down the street. This year has reminded us all that we have much more work to do, but I know that we are up for the challenge.

B. Bailey: I thank the member for Kelowna West for his thoughtful comments, in particular in regard to the challenge of cyberbullying. Congratulations to his region for their continued excellence in the tech sector.

As we consider the future of technology in British Columbia and in Canada, we must do so with a lens that pays attention to racism and other prejudices within the very technology that we are creating here in this province. TikTok, the immensely popular video platform that our teens spend so much time on, is one example of algorithmic gatekeeping of content. Your teen is going to see images and videos from people who are most like themselves and less and less content from those who are different than themselves.

This is a problem. We know that sameness leads to a lack of empathy for difference. This simple marketing decision can have consequences on a teen’s perspective of otherness. In this way, algorithms powerfully shape development, and they’re socializing a generation. This isn’t even considering deliberately racist content online, which is a huge and different problem outside the scope of this statement.

So where do we go from here? We cannot and should not accept the naive view that digital technology is agnostic. It is not. The data is not, and the resulting AI is not. Assumptions move from analog to digital and are often, in fact, sometimes worsened in the digital realm. However, there’s some important and exciting work happening here. As policy-makers and legislators, we should stay abreast of it.

The AI Now institute in New York University and the Algorithmic Justice League — great name — are two new sources of research and exploration into racism in AI. I think we should be looking to them for guidance in policy components so that we can be on top of this issue and not playing catch-up and creating yet another situation of endemic racism, particularly as it affects Indigenous, Black and people of colour here in British Columbia.

[10:50 a.m.]

As AI continues to become an everyday part of our lives, we need to develop guidelines for ethical AI algorithms that prevent and not embed racism. It’s also imperative that we diversify our workforce in the technology sector. This work is happening now, and we should do all we can to support this diversification, creating opportunities for Indigenous creators, women, people of diverse abilities and people of colour to develop the skills needed in the sector is key. These skills are broad — coding, yes, but also digital art, project management, HR, marketing, business development, accounting, and so on.

More diversity is an integral solution to the problem of racism in tech, but not the only solution. It’s on all of us to address this problem. Recognizing the international day for the elimination of racism, I call upon members of this House to consider the complex issues we need to understand and to mitigate racism in technology.

CHILDREN’S EDUCATION

J. Tegart: It is a pleasure to rise in the House today to speak on education — the need for a comprehensive education plan to continue our children’s growth and development. This is not the first time that I’ve risen on this issue. This is not the first time that the House has heard these remarks.

It should be stated that teachers, support staff and parents have done incredible work to preserve our kids’ education through what has undoubtedly been one of the most undeniably challenging years in recent history. While many school boards and school districts have implemented their education plans to great success, some have left our students with fewer instructional hours than other school districts.

Unfortunately, I’m hearing from many of those parents in the Vancouver school board whose children are currently receiving a quality of education that parents are concerned about due to the lack of instructional hours. The Vancouver school board has been offering less than the required hours of instruction to their students. Today I want to share some of the stories I’m hearing. I think it’s important, when we talk about these issues, that we actually talk about the impact that they’re having on individuals.

I recently heard from a parent who spoke of their 17-year-old student dropping out of school for good due to the social isolation he’s experienced in the last six months — how he’s happier at a minimum-wage, part-time job where he interacts with real people rather than sitting at home all day with a mountain of homework. Another parent shared that her son is now drinking and shoplifting during all his free hours. Another parent spoke of her daughter sitting at home all day in her room, with the door closed and the blinds drawn. Another parent said her son has quit taking his ADHD medication. Since he’s not in school much anymore, he can’t be bothered.

Another parent’s story:

“By the end of November, our daughter was struggling with migraine headaches. We took her to Children’s Hospital. She had a full neurological evaluation, a CT scan and an MRI. The diagnosis? Depression and anxiety. A psychiatrist told me we needed to lock up all the medication in our house — that we could not leave our daughter alone. This is the single worst moment I have ever experienced as a parent. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in youth in Canada. I would, a thousand times, rather that she had COVID.”

This is written by a grade 11 student.

“Pandemic precalculus 11 has been the most challenging course I’ve ever had to complete in my high school education so far. The abbreviated timeline of the course required a marked degree of self-discipline in order to attempt to complete the work accurately and on time. We covered, in ten weeks, a course that is designed to be taught over 40 weeks. Needless to say, there was little time to fully absorb the material.

[10:55 a.m.]

“I found the work extremely overwhelming and time-consuming, but I made every effort to succeed in my course. I spent an average of five hours every day doing math, and more than 80 percent of that time was at home. My teacher posted online videos and PDFs that were helpful, but without a private tutor, I struggled to learn the material.

“I met with my tutor at least five days a week. I’m a very good student. I try my best. I found the material just too challenging to teach myself. I did everything I could to learn, including all sorts of online extra work. This degree of commitment required that I forgo essentially all other activities. Not only did the lack of adequate instruction lead to increased anxiety with respect to my ability to succeed, but also left me with no time to do anything that might otherwise improve my mental health.

“Overall, the experience was extremely demanding and demoralizing and required great sacrifice to reach a moderate level of success.”

Here’s a story from a parent of a grade 8 student.

“My daughter has a learning difference and has had to work twice as hard as her peers to achieve good marks. My wife and I never imagined school would be 1.5 hours of in-person teaching per day. Each day has created anxiety for all of us: how to get her to school and back at random hours in the middle of the workday, and who can supplement her teaching?

“My otherwise social and happy child has become isolated, sad and stressed out. She goes into a building for one class a day and comes out after an hour and a half. She’s not made any friends. She doesn’t know the building, the staff, her teachers or the school culture and values. She spends hours every day trying to understand the complex assignments that have been posted on Microsoft Teams and then struggles to teach herself the material while she waits for us to finish work. For a child who has high expectations of herself, she is anxious and worried.

“My grade 11 is currently trying to get into university. She’s a very determined girl. I have encouraged her to look at many universities, and frankly, I’m worried that this gap in instruction may seriously affect her chances at getting into any of them. I just cannot see how she can be getting all of what needs to be done as a registered class in an hour and a half.”

Those are just a few of the stories of the young people who are in our schools today.

Deputy Speaker: Recognizing the member for Surrey-Fleetwood.

J. Brar: Thank you, hon. Speaker, and good to see you in person today.

I’m pleased to stand up in this House today to respond to the statement made by the hon. member for Fraser-Nicola regarding our children’s education. The troubling stories the member has shared tell us that we are going through troubling times.

There’s no doubt that the past year has been one of the most challenging for all of us, and there were and still are unique challenges for students, K-to-12 teachers and staff, and for our families.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

One year ago the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to make a monumental shift in teaching and learning in order to effectively respond to the pandemic. We do have a plan. To ensure that students and staff could continue learning safely, we built a five-stage framework to operate schools.

In the spring of 2020, while most students were learning remotely, 5,000 students of essential service workers and students who needed extra support were in classrooms, with strict health and safety protocols in place. During this time, we also provided 75,000 meals a week to help 16,000 families, and 23,000 technology loans were arranged for students.

[11:00 a.m.]

Our June restart saw almost 2,000 students safely returning back to the classroom. By September 2020, we were able to safely reopen schools, maximizing in-class learning while providing families with the flexibility to choose transitional programs for their children until they felt safe returning to the classroom. None of this was easy for anyone, so we are grateful for the tireless work of our teachers, school staff, administrators, parents, families and others who have exemplified compassion and professionalism in our education system.

We have invested $288 million in one-time K-to-12 provincial and federal funding to support student and staff safety. School districts are using this money to hire additional staff, make improvements to ventilation, support remote learning and increase cleaning protocols. We have also provided $900,000 for six regional COVID response teams, one for each health authority and one for independent schools.

With strict health and safety protocols in place at our schools, the majority of families have felt confident enough sending their children to school. In fact, 90 percent of students are now in class, connected to their community’s school. This tells us that our guidelines are working.

To further support students, our government released a new mental health in-school strategy in September, aimed at finding new ways to support students who need help. Building on the ERASE and Pathway to Hope initiatives, the new mental health strategy embeds a positive mental health and wellness program for students in all aspects of the education system.

We have also hired 257 additional teachers, psychologists and counsellors since 2017 and more staff later to support students’ mental health across the province. In addition, we have opened eight more Foundry centres throughout the province, as well as virtual primary care services so that young people can access these one-stop shops for wellness, in person and virtually.

The vaccine rollout brings renewed hope, and with more and more vaccine doses arriving in B.C., we have added education staff to the list of essential workers getting priority vaccines in April. Thanks to the hard work of our health officials, community leaders and volunteers, B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is ahead of schedule and gives us hope of better days ahead.

The health and safety of students and staff is a top priority for our government, and that’s why we will continue to follow the directions of public health officials in making fact-based decisions when it comes to our school system. I appreciate the member for raising this important issue. Thanks for the opportunity.

J. Tegart: Thank you for the member across the way to outline the commitment that government has made to education, which is so critically important during this COVID year. But I think it’s important also that we actually take a look at those programs and look at how they’re hitting the ground.

These are stories from parents. These are students who are struggling. I want to share one more story. This is a grade 8 child.

“Prior to this school year, my daughter didn’t have anxiety. The pressures of social isolation and teachers trying to squeeze in as much of the curriculum as possible into a ten-week period has certainly taken its toll. Tears are an everyday occurrence in our house, and my daughter’s self-esteem and confidence have paid the price. She experiences nausea and headaches almost every day. Getting a call at work that your 13-year-old daughter is at home having a panic attack is not a nice feeling.

“I do believe that short-term challenges help children build resilience. However, a full year of daily stress and pressure is beyond building resilience. It is affecting our children’s mental health.

[11:05 a.m.]

“As a parent, knowing that children in the Vancouver school district are the only ones suffering like this and that they are now at an unfair disadvantage academically compared to students in other districts in our province…. It is hard to take. And I have yet to see any scientific evidence that this model has led to a decrease in the number of exposures or transmissions of COVID-19 per capita.”

Our students are paying the price of a complicated teaching model that is also tremendously stressful for our teachers and administrative staff. So as we look at our public education system and where we’re at, parents in the Vancouver school district are asking for changes. I think it is incumbent upon us, as we look at how many dollars we’re putting into school systems, to support programs that we hope will assist students, parents and staff with this kind of anxiety.

It is incumbent upon all of us in this House to ensure that when those programs hit the ground, they make a difference. What I’m saying is, when I asked parents for experiences, I got more than 60 stories within a week. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Those of us in this chamber have more work to do. It is incumbent on us as the adults to ensure our future generations do not suffer unnecessarily.

Hon. J. Whiteside: I ask that the House consider proceeding with Motion 6, standing in the name of the member for Vancouver-Hastings.

Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed with Motion 6 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 6 — SYSTEMIC RACISM

N. Sharma: It’s my honour to bring forward the following motion:

[Be it resolved that this House recognize the historic and present-day acts of structural, systemic and institutional racism perpetuated against racialized people and reaffirm our commitment to combatting racism in all forms.]

March 21, 2021, was the international day to eliminate racism. On this day every year, we stand in solidarity against racism. But that is not enough. Last year, like many times before, people filled the streets in a collective outcry against racism. Indigenous, Black and people of colour marched like they’ve done for centuries, their bodies and their spirits tired of carrying the burden of oppression and the racist systems that work against them.

How many times, and when will it be enough? The answer to that question continues to elude us even till today, as we stand here a few days after eight people, including six Asian women, lost their lives, their lives and their families destroyed while a local police officer characterized the shooter as having a “bad day.” We continue to mourn these lives and the countless others lost. We ask: when will it be enough?

There is no more important place to ask these questions than these halls and this chamber. Over the 150 years since B.C. joined Canada, these walls have hosted hundreds of MLAs, witnessed countless debates and passed many pieces of legislation. For many decades, the re­sources and power of this chamber were fully devoted to one mission. As former Premier Sir Richard McBride stated: “British Columbia shall be a white man’s province.”

MLAs, our predecessors, were ruthless in their pursuit of this mission. There is too much legislation to name it all. In fact, in order to limit Asian and South Asian immigration to Canada, from 1872 to 1928, MLAs in these chambers passed 89 separate bills, 49 resolutions, seven reports and much more. There are no Hansard records that recorded it, but I want you all to imagine the debate that occurred in these walls when this legislation was passed.

[11:10 a.m.]

There is no shortage of examples of the impact of these actions: Indigenous people dispossessed of their lands, the full force of the colonial structures against them and their bodies, unable to fight for their rights in court; the Chinese head tax passed against Chinese immigration, $40 per year, termed a breathing tax; order-in-council 469, authorizing the dispossession of all the property of Japanese Canadians in this province and relocating them away from their homes; Komagata Maru, South Asian immigration and hundreds of South Asians fighting for their rights over decades just to be treated equally; former Black slaves that fled the States to Canada, only to face discrimination and laws that were operating against them. There is also no shortage of heroes who took on this place and never gave up their fight for equality, and they continue to come to us today.

We, as MLAs in the 42nd parliament, now inherit this history fully and completely with the obligation to make this right. Every mandate letter issued by this government puts as a priority antiracism. Because it is not enough for us to condemn racism, we must use our position to dismantle the systems that were created within these very walls and tear down the barriers that were deliberately put in place to repress Indigenous, Black and people of colour.

There is still so much more work to do, whether it’s racism in our health care system, police reform, combatting the rise of anti-Asian hate or true reconciliation with Indigenous people. Just a few short days ago anti-Semitic posters were found plastered all over Kelowna. One day, it must be enough. We must be able to conquer hate and racism in all its forms. I hope that all of my colleagues will join together in this work so we can make this province better for all people.

T. Wat: I rise in this House today to speak to the motion: “Be it resolved that this House recognize the historic and present-day acts of structural, systemic and institutional racism perpetuated against racialized people and reaffirm our commitment to combatting racism in all forms.”

It is important to rise in this House and speak on this crucial topic once again. Although we, as British Columbians and as Canadians, embrace our identity of multiculturalism, tolerance and acceptance, this pandemic has shed a dark light on how deeply rooted racism remains in many levels of our society. This pandemic has also revealed how quickly racism and intolerance can take hold and spread throughout our society. It’s truly important that we speak about it and continue this conversation as often as possible.

In many ways, intolerance takes hold faster than tolerance and acceptance, because to strengthen our openness and tolerance, we must constantly learn and revalue our own history, culture and society. We must talk, and we must listen. To promote intolerance, we simply have to become ignorant.

I have spoken many times, both in this House and outside of it, on the horrendous spike in racism and hate crimes against Asian Canadians that has occurred throughout the pandemic. But we must not forget that it’s not just Asian Canadians who have been subjected to racism and intolerance. Religious intolerance can take hold as quickly as racial intolerance. For nearly a decade, Canada saw an increasing number of incidents of racism and hate crimes perpetuated against our Muslim communities. The same can be said about anti-Semitism, which for years saw an increasing number of incidents in Canada. We must strive every day to eliminate any and all forms of religious intolerance in our province.

We must also be conscious of the challenges our South Asian communities face and raise awareness on any incidents of racism toward them.

[11:15 a.m.]

Recent events have shed a horrific light on the prejudices many of our people and institutions perpetuate against our Black Canadians. Our Indigenous communities continue to feel the pain of our province and our country’s dark history on a daily basis and continue to face a disproportionate amount of the economic and social inequalities that persist in our society.

I would also like to take a moment to reflect on my own experiences. Of course, I have many personal experiences because of my skin colour and the fact that I speak English with an accent. People have always been quick to label me as a foreigner, despite the fact that I’ve called B.C. home for more than 30 years. There are other personal experiences I could share, as I know others can as well.

I would like to reflect on the incidents of institutional racism I have witnessed. I remember, in my early days working in media, being shunned by my former bosses while trying to promote my colleagues’ better understanding of Cantonese, Mandarin and Punjabi television; being told that they were only interested in “mainstream media.”

I have dedicated much of my career to promoting multiculturalism in this province. It is these incidents that sit the heaviest with me, because they are a reminder that there are thousands of people in this province who will continue to share similar stories of racism, while our institutions have yet to change from the inside. I know many of my colleagues have their own experiences to share.

I would like to conclude by saying that although we have much work to do, it is days like this, where all sides of the House engage in this open dialogue and discussion, and commit to the same shared mission of eliminating racial discrimination, that I’m reminded of the many good reasons I’m proud to continue to serve this amazing province and call it home.

A. Singh: I want to thank my friend from Vancouver-Hastings — and I, of course, wholeheartedly support this motion — and the member for Richmond North Centre for her words as well. This affects so many of us.

Yesterday, as has been spoken, was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. We observe that day worldwide on the day of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, where 69 people were murdered in South Africa at a peaceful demonstration against apar­theid.

I want to speak about another number though: 717 percent. That’s a number I want you to have in mind. That’s the increase in the number of anti-Asian hate crimes reported to the Vancouver police department last year since COVID. B.C. leads the country in anti-Asian sentiment and the number of reported incidents. That’s a shame. I stress reported incidents. For a community that already feels over a century of oppression, and carries a sentiment that reporting it to the police may do nothing, the actual number, I surmise, is much, much higher than that. This has always been unacceptable and is still unacceptable.

We’ve seen where this leads to: verbal assaults on transit, to random attacks on elders in grocery stores, to the killings that we all witnessed in Atlanta last week. It all starts with seemingly minor, innocuous activities: comments about others taking over their neighbourhoods, comments on driving habits of Asian-Canadians, to fetishization of women, to mocking of accents. That othering and belittling — let me spell it right out — is the oldest trick that white supremacy has. The extreme, vitriolic hate and killings like we saw last week are the natural progression and result of that othering.

Our province’s history has unfortunately — as my friend spoke so eloquently — always had a close relationship with white supremacy and racism, from the displacement and terror rained upon Indigenous people, to the anti-Chinese riots of 1907, to the Komagata Maru, to the internment of thousands upon thousands of Japanese Canadians, to attacks on mosques, to the hate we see today. Just over the weekend in Kelowna, anti-Semitic posters were put up all over the city. There is a steady thread. We as a society and our institutions are riddled with systemic barriers that bow to entrenched privilege.

[11:20 a.m.]

I want to be pointed. Racism is not a two-way street. When I say racism, I mean white supremacy. Sexism is not a two-way street. When I say sexism, I mean patriarchy and male privilege. It’s steeped in power dynamics. The oppressed cannot oppress. We have to get past that point if we as a society are going to grow.

Unfortunately, we have not come a long way. We should be much further along this path in 2021, but here we are. A person much wiser than me once said: “What matters is not to know the world but to change it.” We have much work to do. I find solace that the Premier and this government recognize that this racism and the many other -isms are systemic and that there needs to be a coordinated and thoughtful approach to making B.C. a better and a safer place for all to call home.

That’s why our government is committed to tackling racism and discrimination in British Columbia. We’ve taken some solid steps to try to tackle it, but our collective work is far from over. I again find solace that our government has appointed B.C.’s first Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives. I’m heartened and full of hope to see my colleague already moving things forward in this role.

We’ve taken other incredible steps, like reinstating the B.C. human rights commission. The revival of the B.C. human rights commission in 2018 is a major positive step forward. The Office of the Human Rights Commissioner investigates the way that discrimination is rooted in our attitudes, our behaviours, our systems and our laws. It also educates and provides guidance to British Columbians on human rights. The commissioner is a completely independent non-partisan officer of the Legislature. That means they can investigate discrimination wherever it occurs, including with us. It also means they can monitor and assess the performance of our government and our compliance with the human rights code, to ensure public confidence.

We also launched Resilience B.C., B.C.’s new antiracism program. This is a provincewide network to increase capacity to challenge racism at the community level, and address systemic and institutionalized racism across the province. In 2020, we stepped up even further in response to the steep rise in hate during COVID-19, with $1.9 million in new funding, new recovery money, to support more antiracism work.

The ultimate goal of the network is to improve community capacity to respond to incidents of racism through better coordination. We’ve also committed to cross-ministry actions and commitments in antiracism reconciliation by implementing a gender-plus-based analysis.

Much-needed police reform is around the corner. We’ve taken positive steps in that direction as well. As I said earlier, a person who is much wiser than me once said: “What matters is not to know the world but to change it.” I really find solace that we now have a government that is committed to changing things.

C. Oakes: I want to start by thanking all the members speaking today. Having the opportunity to listen to your experiences, I certainly recognize how privileged I am.

On behalf of my constituents of Cariboo North, I am incredibly proud to support this important motion. I understand the extraordinary power of words and the importance of taking action. Over the last many days I have struggled to ensure that we approach this motion with the appropriate path. Words that will somehow move this legislation to answers on how we can best combat racism in all its forms…. And to be honest, I’ve rewritten these comments more than once.

To search for some kind of answers, I’ve reviewed research of our historical acts, many that were mentioned today, just trying to express what is needed to be said. In moments like this, I think the most important starting point is just to speak from my heart. This heart feels very heavy right now. I struggle to find answers that I know so many people are searching for.

Watching the news this past week about the horrible massacre of Asians, particularly targeting women, in Atlanta…. All this, and then the world was shaken, of course, by the recent killing of George Floyd. The worldwide protests that followed his death are now serving to highlight the racism that Blacks, Indigenous, Asians, South Asians — anyone, from anywhere — sadly endure on a daily basis.

Like most people, I have been shocked and outraged to witness recent events in our province. We’ve seen such a horrific spike over the pandemic in hate crimes, racism and intolerance of every form right here in British Columbia. We bear witness toward our Chinese-Canadian communities that have been recently targeted.

[11:25 a.m.]

I ask: how can anyone think that pushing down an elder — or other physical and/or verbal acts of violence — is okay? Where is the accountability for such terrible acts? I think making this more difficult are the enormous sacrifices that have been made by our Indigenous Peo­ple. As a province, thanks to previous governments, British Columbia can now build a foundation for a stronger future. Because of this, we are now in a position to implement recommendations and new groundbreaking approaches to put British Columbia on a pathway towards reconciliation and healing with every single First Nation in this province.

We are all British Columbians. We are all proud of where we have come from, no matter where. When my grandmother’s family, the Muffords and the Tims from Fort Langley, B.C., came to homestead in the Cariboo, they moved to Moose Heights in 1936 on September 29. That same day, winter arrived with a force, their small cabin not set up for winter. They had uprooted their family, and I imagine how scared they were.

Well, Mr. C.D. Hoy —— a local grocer in Quesnel who has now been recognized in the last decade around the world for his photography from that era —— helped my family survive that first winter. Another Chinese-Canadian businessman, Mr. Sing, who owned a very successful market garden, generously provided my grandmother and her siblings a place to work in exchange for produce. This establishment of a successful relationship has lasted generations, with successful Chinese-Canadian business owners living in the Cariboo long before my family came to homestead in the 1930s.

I’m currently reading a book by Isabel Wilkerson entitled Caste: the Origins of Our Discontent. It looks at the foundation of an old house and how we can look at the foundations. It could be generations ago. “Live with it long enough, and the unthinkable becomes normal. Exposed over the generations, we learn to believe that the incomprehensible is the way that life is supposed to be.”

What do we do? We can’t fix the problem unless we see it with all its ugliness. We need to wake up the consciousness of our society. We need to speak up. We need a K-to-12 education that teaches our history. We need a strong post-secondary system that recognizes the need for education and research into social and humanitarian science. We need to invest in arts, culture and museums. I believe we can ignite a positive spark of light in our consciousness when we come together. That is the pathway to move forward.

H. Yao: Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the private member’s motion on the necessity to combat racism in all forms.

I acknowledge that I’m speaking from the traditional and unceded territory of the Musqueam and Coast Salish peoples. I thank them for allowing us to live, work and play on ancestral land.

On behalf of my riding, Richmond South Centre, I’m proud to support — and ask every member in this House to support — the motion introduced by the member representing Vancouver-Hastings. I also want to thank all the members who spoke before me and who will speak after me. It truly warms my heart to witness a collective condemnation of racism in our Legislature.

It angers me to read reports of antiracism violence around the world. I ask the House to take a moment to remember the untimely loss of lives due to senseless violence. We need proper policies and countermeasures to combat systemic racism. Racism continues to deteriorate the fairness, trust, sense of safety and cooperation, and it cannot go unchallenged. While it is important to address observable racism, we also need to acknowledge the existence of hidden racism as well. Systemic racism can be hidden and invisible to individuals who are not impacted by racial discrimination.

I would like to share an example from my past. I still remember, vividly, my frustration yet powerless realization from my past employment in Richmond. Diversity never seemed to be an issue for front-line or low-paid positions. Instead, many of my past colleagues and I had to report to a management team that reflected neither the diversity of the population we served nor the staffing. It is difficult to feel Richmond as a community where such divisions exist. According to the 2016 census, Richmond has approximately 76 percent of residents who identify themselves as either Indigenous, Black or people of colour.

[11:30 a.m.]

As a person of colour, it is discouraging and disheartening to acknowledge how often we’re asked by management to do translation, interpretation, non-English social media outreach, cross-cultural engagement dialogue, program design, promotion to diverse communities, and multicultural practice and understanding.

Too many who work in the farmland of Richmond, and why Richmond has one of the least popular responsiveness rates…. Together we need to shatter the invisible glass ceiling often too easily felt by Indigenous, Black and people of colour. We can do better, and we need to do better.

Obviously, racism experienced by people in Richmond goes beyond employment. In December 2019, while most of British Columbia lived their lives in normalcy, many Asian-Canadians recognized the trouble brewing in Asia — a pneumonia-like illness that was identified in China, Wuhan region. The disease awoke a memory from a time in the not-so-distant past: SARS. Many countries and global citizens paid a hefty price, and the survivors walked away with valuable lessons.

Chinese Canadians were vigilant. We shared our learning from the global fight against SARS with our communities. We promoted the need and importance of face-mask wearing, handwashing, systematic testing, restricting movements, maintaining self-distance, and so forth.

Many Chinese Canadians in Richmond led the way in the fight against the spread of the virus. Yet, however, before March 2020, we were often met with ridicule and mockery. Several types of mockeries were calling us ill-informed, scaredy cats, stupid, paranoid and crazy. Ridicule continues, although public health validated a strategy recommended by Chinese Canadians in our community.

Chinese Canadians could and wanted to be an exceptional and effective ally in the fight against COVID-19 for our community. However, the opportunity was minimized by racial tension and distrust. While many Chinese-Canadian groups were fighting to help British Columbia find ways by donating personal protective equipment, anti-Chinese racism experienced an exponential growth. Unprovoked violence resulted in tragic loss of life. Not just Chinese, but individuals with Asian-based ethnicities.

Racism is blind and despicable. Racism has stolen our community’s opportunity to work together to minimize the damage done by COVID-19. Racism further sows distrust and reduces our society’s ability to all cooperate and collaborate in this pandemic. Worst of all, racists somehow found the determination and devotion to these skewed and self-justifying views that lead to unprovoked violence, broken families and lives lost. Racism cannot turn off those problems without challenge. We, as a province, must stand up against racism.

Today, I’m proud our government has a majority of MLAs who are women, and over a quarter of our MLAs are persons of colour. Our government has also re-established the B.C. Office of the Human Rights Commissioner to further combat racism. Of course, with the appointment of our first Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, our government’s direction and diversity policy has truly reflected our government’s commitment to embrace multiculturalism and combat racism.

M. Lee: I rise in support of the motion before the House. British Columbia regrettably has had a history of structural and institutional racism, the impacts of which can still be seen and felt today.

Even with the progress and changes we’ve made, racism still exists in our society. I’m grateful that all members of this House are committed to combatting all forms of racism. Our province and our country have had a history of systemic racism towards people of Asian descent, and I’ve seen evidence of it over the course of my own life. In the late 1980s, I worked as a volunteer in Vancouver’s Chinatown with the human rights committee of the Chi­nese Benevolent Association of Vancouver, interviewing payees and their families about the head tax.

Under the Chinese Immigration Act, the head tax was imposed in 1885 to discourage Chinese immigration after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the very nation-building infrastructure that many of these men helped to build and lost many of their lives.

Chinese immigrants also worked on farms and logging operations and as store owners at a time when many white Canadians were openly discriminatory to­wards Chinese immigrants.

[11:35 a.m.]

After some provincial governments, especially British Columbia, pressured the federal government, a new Chi­nese immigration act, commonly known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, was enacted in 1923, which banned nearly all Chinese immigration to Canada for years, separating many families.

The exclusion act was repealed in 1947 after the Second World War, when Canada became a signatory to the United Nations charter of human rights. This was just six years before my father came as a student to B.C. from Hong Kong in 1953. For another 15 years after that, immigration restrictions on the basis of race and national origin were still in place until 1962, which is the year that my mother came to B.C.

This period demonstrates the importance of education in our fight against racism in realizing that we are not far removed from the darker periods of our history. Over the past year, we’ve seen a stark increase in hate crimes and overt acts of racism in our province. The rise in racism has come in the form of anti-Asian hate in British Columbia, with the Vancouver police department reporting a staggering 717 percent increase in reported incidents in 2020. Acts of violence, in the form of verbal and physical assaults and other hate crimes, have all increased dramatically since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Vancouver constituency I represent, we recently had two incidents of racism, one at c̓əsnaʔəm, an ancient Musqueam village and burial ground that was vandalized, and the second at Riverview Park, where eight trees were defaced with anti-Semitic symbols, swastikas and the words “white power.” These terrible acts of hate are sad reminders that we have still so much more work to do to fight racism in our society.

I know that all members of this House want to build a more open and inclusive British Columbia. It’s why we sought to address the impacts of institutional racism towards Indigenous peoples within B.C. We need to continue to raise public awareness and educate people about residential schools and other forms of racism towards Indigenous peoples in our province’s history.

We’re committed to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to act on the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples in our collective decision-making moving forward together.

As evidenced by the incident in Vancouver-Langara last month, and more recently with anti-Semitic posters in Kelowna last Friday, there are further steps we also need to take to address anti-Semitism in our province. Canada and Ontario have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s, IHRA’s, definition of anti-Semitism as part of their anti-racism strategies. Here in British Columbia, I believe we should also adopt similar legislation to strengthen the tools that we have to fight racism.

We must continue to work to increase the diversity of perspectives and be vigilant in addressing any bias and racism in our institutions and our communities and to find ways to foster greater empathy towards others. We also need to be united in our work to build a more open and inclusive society in British Columbia and not stoke division between communities.

Let’s not be discouraged, but instead emboldened to push forward to make real and lasting change to the benefit of everyone in our province. I believe the diversity of British Columbia is a great gift. We have an amazing opportunity to show the world that living with respect for one another is possible. Let us all be strong and firm, standing up against racism.

R. Singh: It is such an honour to be standing here today and talking in favour of this motion. I really want to thank my colleague the member for Vancouver-Hastings for bringing this motion. We all know that racism has been part of our history, not just in British Columbia but Canadian history. Racism has always existed in Canada. But what we have seen, the global events that we have seen in the last year — with the Black Lives Matter movement; with the anti-Asian, anti-Indigenous hate crimes in the wake of COVID-19 — talk of racism has come to the forefront.

Talking about racism is not an easy task. It is very uncomfortable. It is challenging. I’m really glad for this opportunity in the House to talk about this issue, hearing my colleagues from both sides of the Legislature talking about their commitment, talking about the need to put in the resources to fight racism every day.

I’m so glad. I’m so proud to be part of a government that is taking this issue very seriously — the number of anti-racism initiatives that have been launched by our government.

[11:40 a.m.]

We have reached this point not just like that. It didn’t happen overnight. It has been with advocacy. It has been the work of the grassroots organizations, the community organizations, the voices and a lot of advocacy that they have done for British Columbia and the government to take this stand and also to roll out the initiatives that will be coming out.

I just want to mention a few of the things that the government is planning to do. There have been a lot of calls about collecting race-based data. We are taking that very seriously. We know this is an important thing to find the barriers, the gaps, and to bring in the policies that can help the racialized communities, help our Indigenous and Black communities.

Also, bringing for the first time ever…. British Columbia is going to introduce anti-racism legislation. So a lot of consultation will happen for that, but also, I think governments will do their part. They defer to the communities. They will do the part. But it is, I think, the allyship — all the communities coming together and needing to talk about racism. That’s what we are doing here today.

This is what I have seen in a number of organizations that I’ve had the opportunity to connect with. They are doing that, whether it is happening in our schools, whether it is happening in our non-profit sector, whether it is happening when we are talking to our younger generation — talking about the need to create an inclusive and diverse society that we all belong to. That’s what we all deserve.

I really want to just give one example of one organization, especially one person that I had the opportunity to talk to in the last few weeks. Her name is Hailey Chen. Hailey is working with youth all over Canada to bring out awareness about racism. It was so great to talk to her about this thing when she was talking about the need to educate our youth and to bring the talk about racism, making a space to talk about racism. That is extremely important.

I know that, as I mentioned before, this is a topic that brings a lot of pain. It brings a lot of trauma, even for a person like me who is a racialized person. If somebody asked me to talk about my experiences, talk about examples of how I have faced racism…. I have a lot of difficulty. And for the person who is hearing it, it is creating a lot of trauma for them as well. So we really want to create the space, and I really want to applaud people like Hailey for creating that space.

I also really want to thank the initiative, especially, that was just launched this Friday — the anti-racism campaign that is coming out of the Ministry of Attorney General. That campaign is asking all of us to do some introspection — to look within ourselves, look at our own privileges, look at the barriers people are facing, look at what is stopping us from talking about racism — but also, creating an opportunity to have that dialogue, because that is important. Starting the conversation, continuing that conversation, will really help us to create a society that we are all striving for.

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the member opposite for the introduction of this motion. As we reflect on the meaning of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we should feel concerned — concerned that this past year has led us backwards to a place where we have seen more hate and more distrust of each other. Or perhaps, as it happens in crisis, this has simply brought these things into the light.

When we feel angry or frustrated as individuals, we look around for someone else to blame for our own problems. As a community, we do the same thing. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to our looking around for that blame. It has intensified the pre-existing inequities in Canadian society, and it has taken a toll on many Canadians. But for Asian Canadians, the impacts have been magnified by racism aimed at both individuals and businesses. This has been spurred on by misinformation and the seriously incorrect conspiracy theories.

[11:45 a.m.]

As previous members mentioned, the Vancouver police have reported a large surge in anti-Asian crimes. This is just what’s being reported to the police. It doesn’t include the rude comments, the innuendos, the verbal threats, graffiti and the physical assaults. The majority of acts of violence towards Asians have taken on the form of microaggressions, verbal abuse and harassment, including racial slurs, threats and derogatory remarks. We try and make sense of this world by trying to understand why things happen and, again, who to blame.

The pandemic has allowed us to mask our own fear by pointing the finger, unjustifiably, towards those we want to hold responsible. In today’s world, messages of hate and fear are all too easily spread through social media and the Internet. “Anger and intolerance are the…enemies of correct understanding.” That’s attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. We already know that everyone — regardless of their colour, ethnicity or country of origin — deserves to be treated with respect. People are people. We are good; we are bad. We struggle; we thrive. But there are no biological differences between us, just perceived differences born out of ignorance.

So many of our attitudes were shaped when we were young. When our family members or friends express racist opinions, it’s common that we take on those views as our own. We take cues from our parents and the adults around us. Even a joke at the dinner table, which may feel innocuous at the time, gives the signal to a young person that it’s okay to laugh at the expense of others. The problem is that unless we do something about it, these thoughts and beliefs can stay with us for a lifetime.

Just as a person can be raised to believe that they hold a special position of privilege over others, a person of colour can be raised to believe that they do not. This impacts what someone believes they can and cannot do, and it impacts our views of each other. As parents, we need to be aware to lead by example. It’s not what we say; it’s what we say and what we do that demonstrates to our children what is acceptable and what is not.

Children learn hate from those around them. They model what they see. They can also, though, learn to be accepting, to be interested in and respecting of differences, and how to love. We all have an obligation to speak out when we see something: when someone is being treated poorly, when they’re being teased, or when they’re being hurt. Sitting on the sidelines and watching is simply cowardice. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” That’s attributed to Desmond Tutu.

Last year the B.C. Liberals put forward substantive suggestions to help combat the rise in hate crimes, increase funding to the multiculturalism and antiracism programs, and develop more educational tools and resources for the K-to-12 education curriculum. I would also suggest that we demonstrate our commitment by providing investment and support for Vancouver’s Chinatown, in which businesses have been dramatically hurt by the pandemic. This is after years of development and lack of mental health supports have encroached on this once vibrant and historically relevant community.

The fight against racism, prejudice and inequality must continue. As individuals and as a society, we need to step up and condemn racism in all of its forms. I want my young, strong and talented Chinese-Canadian daughter to grow up in a safe and inclusive society.

J. Sims: I want to commend my colleague, the member for Vancouver-Hastings, for bringing forward a motion that allows all of us to speak about racism and the need for all of us to do more about this whole area. As other colleagues have said, this area is very difficult to talk about for many, but let me start off by saying how heartwarming it is to look on the screen and see the diversity being reflected in the faces I see on here.

Let me say…. Many of you might know my history. I was born in India, but I got to England at a very young age. That’s where I grew up.

[11:50 a.m.]

It’s when I became a teacher that I chose Canada to be my home. I chose Canada to be my home because of its multiculturalism. We fell in love with the geography. We fell in love with the people. We decided to make this home.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

I’m in a cross-cultural marriage, an interracial marriage. My husband is Caucasian. I was brought up in a Sikh family. He was brought up in a Roman Catholic family. He’s got Irish-Scottish roots, and I have my roots in the Punjab in India. So in many ways, a lot of the conversations we have are very much like the United Nations, with the diversity that is reflected there, over the years.

But racism, when we talk about multiculturalism…. I’ve listened to all the wonderful speeches made by each and every one of you. For me, yes, speeches are great. It is great that we’re getting together to have this discussion. But I think there is time now for more concerted action. Where does that start?

Multiculturalism, for me, is not about eating a samosa, eating pho or eating sushi and putting on a garment. It is not. That is not multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is not when we tolerate each other or we put up with each other. It’s when we celebrate our diversity.

I think that when we talk about racism, many of us felt that in the ’70s and ’80s, we had done with racism. We put a check mark, and we moved on. But I really want to take today to recognize the pioneers who — in the ’60s, ’70s, ’50s, ’40s, ’30s, for the whole century — have been fighting racism. I think it’s a conversation that is an ongoing conversation that we’ve got to have, no matter how difficult it is.

One of the places that conversation has to start is in the home. We’ve got to make it safe for people to have that conversation — not through blame, but that it’s okay to have these conversations. When we look at our systems, our public school systems play a critical role in this. Our curriculum has to reflect our diverse history, but it also has to reflect, in a celebratory way, the contributions of the different groups that came into this country. Yes, we have a very colourful history, whether it was Japanese internment or to stop the Chinese from coming here with the head tax or the Komagata Maru.

Today I would say racism is real. It hurts, and it’s very painful. We have to start tackling it in a multi-pronged way. There is lots we can do as legislators, but there is a lot that institutions need to do and lots that needs to be done in our communities and in our families. But for me, how do we allow that conversation to happen? Many people think: “Racism? That doesn’t exist anymore.” But those are the people who have never faced it or experienced it. They’ve placed that check mark and then gone on.

At this time, I do want to do a huge shout-out to the B.C. Teachers Federation. One of my first forays into the union, into the federation, was through the women’s committee and then later through the anti-racism committee. Even today, the materials they have on their website are absolutely amazing.

Let me tell you, having lived here all this time, I was thinking I was immune to the hurt that racism can cause. I was in a car accident last week. When the gentleman came out, the only thing he kept yelling was: “Guess you don’t want to work. You people are all like this. All you want to do is collect money from ICBC.” I stood there speechless. I never thought I could become speechless like that. I just didn’t know what to do. I was shell-shocked.

Racism is real. It’s part of life. But we have an opportunity to take action and to change so that other people, our children, our grandchildren, can live in safe communities.

T. Halford: Thank you to all the prior speakers before on this important motion. I just want to actually highlight and touch on the words that my colleague from Surrey-Panorama just mentioned. She gave an example there that is probably, horrifically, too common.

[11:55 a.m.]

I think it’s absolutely horrendous that she had to go through that. I am hoping that one day we get to a point where we don’t have to hear those stories because they’re not happening. But we’re not there yet, and we’ve got a long way to go.

I’m a father of three kids. I can say that in my house, we’ve had conversations on what racism is. They were much different than the conversations I had in my house when I was growing up. That’s a good thing. But as I just said, we’ve still got a long way to go.

I’ve got a six-year-old daughter, and she finds it absolutely puzzling that we have these conversations because she doesn’t understand them. She has, in her class, a very diverse class. That’s something that she actually just does not pay a lot of attention to. She does not really concern herself with what people bring for their lunches, what religions they celebrate in their homes or what the colour of their skin is. That’s a good thing.

But as we’ve seen from what the member for Surrey-Panorama just said — and we’ve seen the horrific examples such as last week in Atlanta, Georgia, where Asian women were targeted and killed — we’re not there yet. We’ve got a long way to go. So I absolutely stand in solidarity with the members of this House and the member for Vancouver-Hastings on this important motion.

A couple of things that I will say is that we, as a society, have to ensure that we realize that there is so much work that needs to be done and so much work that needs to be continued in our nation to make sure that we are laying the pathways to get to a better place and to eliminate racism.

That work needs to be done every day. It needs to be done in this House. It needs to be done in our schools. It needs to be done in our workplaces. We can never take a day off because people are watching, and they need to watch. My children are watching. Their friends are watching. Our parents, our grandparents are watching. We need to ensure that we are doing everything on our part to end racism.

I’ve never experienced racism. I haven’t. But I know what it is. I know the hurt and the pain that it can cause. I know how one joke can be construed and can light a match to hate. I think that we all have to be aware of that, especially people in my background, where there is a certain level of…. I’ll say it. I think because you don’t experience it, you just don’t really see it. We need to stop that, because what it does is it just manifests.

I can say that I am proud to come from the city of Surrey, where we have such diverse backgrounds. As the member stated before, it shouldn’t be…. We’re speaking about people of backgrounds and colour and everything like that and tolerating people. We need to celebrate people and celebrate those backgrounds, because it’s all of us. We need to ensure we’re doing everything in our part to teach and to learn and to love. Thank you.

T. Halford moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. J. Whiteside moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:59 a.m.