Racism in Greater Victoria: A Community Report Released
“People seem to think that there is no racism here but the only people I’ve heard that from are White folks who tend to spin it as, ‘well it wasn’t really racism… they were just overreacting’. Having our experiences of racism belittled and dismissed does even more harm.”
Local Immigration Partnership (GVLIP)
Greater Victoria Local Immigration Partnership (GVLIP) focuses on strategic partnerships to develop equitable policies impacting governance, education, health care and housing in our community.
— Indigenous bi-racial/mixed race person, identifies as female, born in Canada
In partnership with the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria and our other sector partners, the GVLIP has released the Community Report on Racism in Greater Victoria which is the result of a survey conducted last fall.
Through a strategic partnership with leaders in four primary community sectors, Governance, Healthcare, Education and Housing the GVLIP conducted its first community survey and consultation on racism.. The information gathered was presented to key GLVIP partners and stakeholders on May 7, 2021.
The report addresses four significant findings:
Racism in Victoria is real with 71% of Indigenous, Black, Asian or other Persons of Colour reporting that they personally experienced racism in the last five years;
Racism harms – 70% of racialized respondents reported that they feel undervalued, isolated and unsafe in Victoria because of their race;
Racism acts as a barrier to the inclusion of immigrants; and
Finally, deliberate and thoughtful action is needed to combat racism at all levels with a strong call on governments, institutions and organizations to do the heavy lifting in creating systemic and structural.
The 54-page report that outlines in detail the issues of racism our community faces, along with analysis and recommendations for positive action. As one of our partners, Chris Atchison, President of the British Columbia Construction Association stated:
“Racism has a profoundly negative impact on communities and workplaces, and the construction industry is not an exception. The “Report on Racism in Greater Victoria” produced and released by the GVLIP reminds us all that we have a meaningful role to play in fighting racism.
“ICA and GVLIP will be working to improve conditions for Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour in the Greater Victoria region” said Florentien Verhage, GVLIP Coordinator. “You will be learning more about our plans in the coming months.”
The GVLIP is powered by ICA is a community coalition designed to improve the participation, belonging, and inclusion of newcomers in Greater Victoria. For more information about the report, please contact: gvlip@icavictoria.org
We gratefully acknowledge the support of IRCC for funding this project.
