BC Demographic survey launched with aim to improve government programs for Indigenous, racialized communities

By Surbhi Gogia
SURREY: BC’s Education Minister Rachna Singh along with Speaker Raj Chauhan and other NDP MLAs announced the launch of a Demographic Survey on Wednesday, June 14, at Grand Taj Banquet Hall in Surrey.
The officials are encouraging every BC resident to participate in this survey which is available in 15 languages. The survey includes questions about ethnicity, gender, education, income and other aspects of identity.
According to Singh, “We’ve heard from many Indigenous and other racialized people that they are being left behind because our services weren’t designed with them in mind.”
She said that the government will link information from the Survey to examine how well different programs and policies work for different people, and to identify gaps and barriers that are stopping people from fully benefiting from public services such as education, health care and social supports.
The Survey, according to Singh, is part of bigger aim of the government to identify and eliminate systematic racism. In June 2022, the Anti-Racism Data Act came into effect. Its aim is to enable the safe collection and “use of personal information for the purposes of identifying and eliminating systemic racism and advancing racial equality,” according to the province.
“This year’s BC Demographic Survey is the first to be administered under the Anti-Racism Data Act. The act – and the collection of data on the impacts of racism – flows from ‘the grandmother perspective’ framework on disaggregated data collection that my office has called for. Demographic data can assist the provincial government to identify and eliminate racial inequities in service delivery systems. I encourage everyone interested in ensuring our public services are equitable to engage with this new survey and make your voices heard,” said Kasari Govender, B.C.’s human rights commissioner.
Raj Chauhan, Speaker and MLA, who was present on the occasion communicated his message in Punjabi to talk about the magnitude of racism in Canada. He said that kind of racism that exists today is different from the racism that people faced in 70s. “It was harsh. People were called names on their faces and even attacked due to their ethnicity or race. Even the complaints to authorities were not taken seriously. We have come a long way, but still a lot needs to be done. People might be polite on your face but they do not acknowledge your credentials.”
The racism is still part of the system, he said. “But we need to be alert. And work to eliminate the systematic racism that exists. This Survey is important in recognizing those barriers and will help in closing those gaps.”
While it may seem similar to other demographic surveys, the province says it’s not. “While we do collect some personal information to deliver services in B.C., in general, we do not ask for or collect information on race, ethnicity, faith or similar identity factors. This means that we don’t have data on where specifically people face barriers when using government services.”
Balbir Gurm, a nursing professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic university, who was present on the occasion, said that Data collection was a good first step but we have to act fast after we have the data in hand.
Also, when asked how does government plan to address racism with just data collection and not recording any personal experiences, she said, “These questions were chosen based on what we heard from Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities during engagement on the Anti-Racism Data Act. Findings from the BC Human Rights Commissioner’s report, The Grandmother Perspective were also used to shape the questions and the focus on institutional or systemic racism.”
But the province wants to hear about your experience. “In 2024 we will be introducing broader anti-racism legislation which will require government to address the inequities uncovered by this demographic survey. You can add your voice to the development of that legislation by taking the short online questionnaire.”
The results of the survey along with updates on how we’re using this information will be available in early 2024 on this website.
The survey is available online at: https://antiracism.gov.bc.ca/bcdemographicsurvey. People without access to a computer or smartphone can take the survey by calling toll-free: 1 833 376-2452.
While the survey is voluntary, everyone, regardless of ethnicity, is encouraged to take it. The more people who complete the survey, the better and more accurate the data to identify, then eliminate, systemic racism in B.C. government services.