As BC's Human Rights Commissioner, I am disturbed by news of hate fueled marches planned for Sept. 20. Peaceful demonstration is an important tool to protect democracy and generate debate. But I want to be very clear: the human rights of LGBTQ2SAI+ people are not up for debate.
My role is not to make public health decisions; it's to shine a light on how those decisions may impact marginalized communities. This week’s removal of universal masking directives in healthcare settings does not uphold a human rights centered approach to public health.
Statement on masking in healthcare: "While I believe that we should be taking public health measures to protect marginalized and vulnerable people in all settings, healthcare, of all places, should prioritize the health of medically vulnerable people."
Today, many children in BC returned to school during an ongoing pandemic, but without the protection of mask mandates. On Mar.16 I wrote to the Public Health Officer re the inequitable impact on immunocompromised people of ending the mask mandate, urging her to maintain it 1/2
Release: On March 16, 2022, BC's Office of the Human Rights Commissioner issued a letter to the Public Health Officer on the ending of the mask mandate. The letter and statement from the Commissioner are available here:
#bcpoli
I have been following with great concern the removal of people and their belongings from the Hastings St encampments this morning. My Office has requested meetings with the Province and City of
#Vancouver
on an urgent basis and expect to meet with both later today
#DTES
Denying the very existence of trans and gender diverse people—including calls to erase trans and LGBTQ2SAI+ people from our province’s curricula—is hate, and hate should have no place in our community or in our schools.
As a parent, I plead with those who think they are protecting children: Erasing LGBTQ2SAI+ people from our curriculum will not change your child’s identity, but it will make schools less safe. To all young people I say: You have rights and you matter. I stand with you with pride.
I'm paying close attention to accounts of police violence in response to Fairy Creek protests as my Office drafts its report on systemic discrimination for the Leg. Ctee. on police reform. Stay tuned for our recommendations to be released in Oct. 1/2
The attacks in BC last week are a stark reminder of the devastating impacts of hate and violence on those most marginalized by poverty and housing insecurity. People who are unhoused deserve protection from discrimination and violence. 1/3
I'm looking forward to being sworn in tomorrow as BC's new human rights commissioner. Stay tuned! For official news from the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, follow
@humanrights4BC
. I'm honoured and excited to officially begin this journey!
In my lifetime, there has never been a more important time for Canada to demonstrate support for institutions of democracy. As international institutions face attacks from leaders who shirk accountability, our responsibility to respect these institutions grows stronger. 1/7
When we stand together against anti-trans hate, we stand together against all hate. I condemn these rallies for their attempts to erase and marginalize trans and LGBTQ2SAI+ people. In our schools, in our communities and across our province, there is
#NoSpaceForHate
I have worked productively with the PHO over the last 2 years to establish practices that better account for the rights of people with disabilities, including the immunocompromised. Today I am publicly sharing my latest call to the PHO, available here: 2/2
Let’s not forget: Canada ran residential schools from 1831-1996 in order to “take the Indian out of the child.” Many survivors are alive today & intergenerational trauma has profound impacts on Indigenous families, communities and on our whole society.
#orangeshirtday
Now is the time to take action to address the campaigns of misinformation and organized hate that give rise to marches like these. Hate is not the unsolvable issue it may at first appear to be.
I share the worries about the risks of encampments to those living in these communities. Encampments are not safe or suitable alternatives to housing. However, Single Room Occupancy units unfit for habitation or displacement to other encampments does not solve the problem (1/6)
I join CERD in urging Canada to immediately cease the forced eviction of Wet’suwet’en and
#Secwepemc
peoples, to prohibit the use of lethal weapons, and to guarantee no force will be used against them. This is a matter of fundamental human rights. 5/7
In March, my Office released results of our public inquiry into hate, including 12 recommendations to take transformative action. Today I have issued a letter calling on Premier David Eby to show how these recommendations are being urgently implemented.
Judge suspends eviction orders against homeless encampment in Vancouver, finding that: "Those individuals have a right to notice and a right to be heard, as their rights, privileges, or interests are uniquely affected."
The City's restrictions on media this morning are unacceptable and a violation of public trust. We should not hear stories of reporters sneaking through alleys to do their jobs. Media freedom is critical to health of our democracy - and human rights - and must be protected. (6/6)
Honoured to be launching this report today on importance of collecting race & other disaggregated
#data
. In this time of pandemic & protest, as COVID exacerbates injustices, we must commit to concrete steps to tackle systemic racism
#humanrights4bc
Canada cannot simultaneously vie for a seat at the Security Council while ignoring their obligations to other parts of the UN. It's critical to the future of human rights that Canada and BC cement the credibility of our institutions by meeting our obligations. 6/7
This week, the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) called for Canada to halt three resource projects until free, prior and informed consent is obtained from all Indigenous peoples impacted by the projects. (FPIC). 2/7
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond's report released today finds pervasive anti-Indigenous racism in BC healthcare. 84% of Indigenous respondents report discrimination. This is why all healthcare providers (indeed, all of us) must root out our own bias and take steps to
#BeAntiRacistBC
.
I stand firmly with women experiencing gender based violence here and always. However, I am concerned that women's safety is being used today to justify violating rights of marginalized communities with little evidence that this move is actually protecting women's safety. (4/6)
CERD’s statement raises the alarm about the escalating threat of violence against Indigenous peoples in B.C. Indigenous peoples who oppose development projects on their traditional territories should never be met with violence for peaceful opposition. 4/7
As a signatory to the Convention to End Racial Discrimination, Canada has obligations to the
#CERD
. Moreover, BC & Canada have — or plan to — legislate
#UNDRIP
. As such, we have obligations to ensure FPIC exists for all impacted Indigenous groups before projects impact lands. 3/7
I understand that women are not being offered secure housing, nor are the City or the Province relying on evidence that shelter spaces, SROs or other encampments are safer for the women seeking protection. (5/6)
Residents and service providers attest to dangers facing women along with issues of fire and other safety concerns. But today’s displacements do nothing more than scatter these same people. They do nothing to solve gender-based violence, toxic drug supply or homelessness. (3/6)
Many governments still struggle with what the right to housing means in practice, especially in the context of homeless encampments. For example, does the right to housing create a legal protection against forced eviction? In a word, yes. (1/3)
The terrible news from Kamloops today reminds us colonialism is not an abstract concept—it has life and death consequences for Indigenous Peoples. As a non-Indigenous person, I recognize our duty to bear witness to the truth as it gets laid bare (1/3)
Starting this month, all employers in BC must include the expected pay or pay range in publicly advertised job postings. Transparency is an important part of pay equity, but to truly close BC's 17% gender pay gap we need more proactive action from government and employers. (1/3)
If you have a complaint about the RCMP's actions at Fairy Creek or otherwise, you can contact
@CRCC_CCETP
via . You can also provide input to B.C.'s Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act via this survey until Sept 4: 2/2
Despite the many human rights issues facing Indigenous peoples, it’s clear that Indigenous people feel excluded from the human rights system here in BC. Bill 18, introduced today, is an important step forward. The next step must be banning discrimination on the basis of poverty.
Yesterday morning I wrote to the City & Province re fire order to remove people & shelters from Hastings Encampment. While safety concerns for residents are now urgent, this urgency cannot override human rights w/o exploring all reasonable alternatives 1/3
They deserve it through having access to mental health and addictions services, where treatment and support is so often the difference between finding housing stability or not, and they deserve it in our everyday interactions where empathy and compassion too often fall away. 3/3
Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe says the word “disappointing” doesn’t even begin to describe how she feels about people who claim safer supply isn't the answer to the toxic drug crisis.
They deserve it under B.C.'s Human Rights Code, where discrimination on the basis of social condition is still not prohibited despite repeated calls for change. They deserve it through having access to housing, pursuant to the internationally protected right to housing. 2/3
Happy Diwali from my house to yours! What a year to celebrate light over darkness, hope over despair. Wishing you peace, love, and light, no matter what the year ahead maybe bring.
As a kidney transplant recipient, I join the many immunocompromised people calling attn to the importance of following public health guidance right now. Thanks to those in health care working tirelessly to keep us as safe as possible.
#HighRiskCovid19
#gratitude
#righttohealth
I am deeply concerned about the surging numbers of hate incidents impacting Jewish and Muslim communities here in B.C. and I am calling for immediate and sustained action to address and prevent hate in our communities. See my full statement here:
Injunction denied! The Court: Enforcement of the order led to serious & substantial infringement of civil liberties by police officers rendered anonymous to protesters, many wearing 'thin blue line' badges. All in the name of enforcing the Court's order.
As the stories of hate wash in, it is easy to feel powerless against the rising tide. I feel it too. But every person who speaks out, lends support or organizes in their community gives me hope. None of us can fight this alone, but our actions still matter.
One child is one too many. Indigenous people have been truth telling about Canada’s colonial violence and genocide for generations. It is past time to listen. For crisis support call the 24-hour Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
#EveryChildMatters
🧡
#Kelowna
, congratulations on the
#RallyAgainstHate
! From violent attacks on Sikhs to anti-LGBTQ2SAI+ marches, your community has faced a lot. Still, you stand up. We know connection can be the antidote to hate. I'm standing with you in love and pride.🌈
Breaking news:
@humanrights4BC
first public inquiry will be into Hate in the Pandemic. Human rights are an essential component of crisis response. We will ask: what's led to a rise in reported hate incidents during this time? How can hate be prevented in future provincial crises?
Launching our full public awareness campaign today, asking us all to ask ourselves the uncomfortable but necessary question: Am I racist? And what am I going to do about it?
#BeAntiRacistBC
“One of the myths that makes it hard to be Black in B.C. is that there’s little to no Blackness. Yet the lack of present-day Black neighbourhoods in Vancouver is in fact linked to the racist erasure of Blackness in the past.”
#BlackHistoryMonth
Today, we grieve every child taken and each stolen sister. May we find truth, justice, transformation and then reconciliation.
#NationalDayForTruthAndReconciliation
I applaud the B.C. govt for officially ending its agreement with
#CBSA
to detain immigrants in provincial jails. Per international human rights standards, immigration detention should never be punitive.
#bcpoli
#humanrights4bc
(1/2)
Eviction without consultation and suitable alternatives is a violation of human rights law & risks exacerbating other health and safety concerns—esp during a heat wave and in the context of two ongoing public health emergencies. 2/3
Talked to my 5 year old today about
#InternationalWomensDay
and why I call myself a feminist. He tried to remember all the words so he could talk about it at school - hearing his little voice repeating the word "feminist" over and over in the back seat made my IWD.
Today, on
#InternationalWomensDay
we join women around the world in continuing to challenge harmful biases and misconceptions that divide us, in order to create a more inclusive and gender-equal world.
#IWD2021
#ChooseToChallenge
“Talking about race shouldn’t necessarily lead to conflict, or violence or anger, it should be a welcome discussion, but since we’ve avoided that discussion for so long we’ve really become entrenched in our myths and what we’ve learned.”
The Arvay Finlay family is deeply saddened to announce that our beloved Joseph J. Arvay, OC QC has passed away. Details on how his remarkable life will be remembered will follow.
A culturally appropriate response, led by the community for the community, has brought down COVID numbers in BC's South Asian community. An example of why we need to understand race and other identity factors of those who are most impacted.
@humanrights4BC
I stand with
@AlexNeveAmnesty
in his hope for the decade ahead: "Quite simply, a decade that – no matter the cost, the inconvenience, the controversy or the opposing interests – puts human rights first."
I'm very disappointed that BC extended the deadline to completely end its agreement w/
#CBSA
to Oct 31, despite assurances to my Office that delay wouldn't occur. Those held in immigration detention have committed no crime; keeping them in jail is an affront to their human rights
"People would prob be shocked to learn that every year, Canada locks up 100s of migrants and refugee claimants in maximum-security jails–without a trial or even a charge. Authorities now rely as heavily on provincial jails as on imm holding centres to house immigration detainees"
No one should experience harassment or discrimination during the pandemic due to a disability. Also, no one should have to be exposed to the virus—or excluded from public spaces—because others refuse to follow public health guidance merely as a matter of personal choice.
Confused about masking policies? This policy guidance from Commissioner
@KasariGovender
details how mask-wearing requirements must accommodate people with disabilities or medical conditions that prevent them from using non-medical masks.
#HumanRights4BC
I have serious concerns re reports of disproportionate police response to DTES community & advocates. Community response to police situation at Carnegie cannot be disentangled from displacement of these same people. The approach we are witnessing undermines dignity & autonomy 3/3
94% of immigration detainees are held for administrative reasons and pose no risk to the public - detaining them in jail violates human rights commitments, and I applaud BC for ending this practice. Now, it is up to the feds to end all migrant detention
#welcometocanada
Today, B.C. announced an end to its
@CanBorder
agreement and detention of migrants in B.C. jails. “CBSA may still hold migrants in a detention centre, but this a significant first step towards affirming the human rights of detainees," said
@KasariGovender
.
We cannot act on what we do not know. This is a call for knowledge. We cannot make change without respectful relationships. This is a call to work with community. This is the time to move from words to real change. This is a call to action.
#racism
B.C.'s ombudsperson is renewing calls for independent oversight of jail guards in municipalities policed by the RCMP, after an investigation found one guard's conduct — in leaving a prisoner crying for help overnight — may have amounted to torture
Here's to a year ahead of activism rooted in love. "I don’t mean any simple, sappy kind of love. I don’t mean anything cute or tame. I mean living, breathing, heart-beating love. Wild love. She can spark a movement. She can sustain a revolution."
#NYE2020
"We love you, we see you and we believe you":
Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir. Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc release final report on unmarked graves at former Kamloops residential school today.
15% of the world’s population (more than 1 billion people) are living with disability. This year's theme of International Day of People with Disabilities is invisible disabilities. An important reminder that sometimes inclusion and equity mean more than meets the eye
#IDPWD2020
"Misogyny – an ideology that denigrates and dehumanizes women – is the underlying motive, whether the femicide takes place on a street or in a home. It is not “isolated” or “random,” but rather part of a pervasive continuum of beliefs."
#DYK
Anti-Asian hate crimes have risen 878% in 2020 compared to last year? Human rights are never more important than in times of crisis. We all have a responsibility to treat each other with dignity. See something? Be an
#upstander
and say something.
"Here's the thing: I hope that young people in B.C. don't kill my Mom, frankly, or David Suzuki or each other,"
@VancityReynolds
said. "Let's not kill anyone, I think that's reasonable." Words to live by.
Also, my son and I have just discovered
@Pam_Palmater
's fantastic
@warriorkidspod
, which is dedicated to "educating Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids together, so they can help make the world a better place for everyone."
Are you a parent or educator wondering how to talk to your children about residential schools? It is necessary, but difficult work. To help you, these Indigenous educators share teaching resources to assist with speaking to kids about residential schools.
'Poverty has a female face. Women amore likely than men to be poor. Women are more likely to act as the ‘shock absorbers of poverty’ going without food, clothes or warmth in order to meet the needs of other family members when money is tight.'
#EndPoverty
Wondering how to talk about human rights with your students or children? We've developed a Human rights 101 learner pack with activities and resources for educators and learners.
#HumanRights4BC
A good question: will BC address systemic racism in immigration detention? "B.C. is at a crossroads. It can continue business as usual. Or it can end its complicity in CBSA’s systemic racism by cancelling its immigration detention contract with the agency"
Former NHL star Trevor Linden calls attention to 'staggering' rate of concussions for domestic violence survivors: 7,000 survivors are concussed for every 1 NHL player. Linden calls on men and boys to call out one another for abusive behaviour of any kind
Today's increase to legal aid tariffs in
#BC
is a critical step forward. The new funding shows progress toward meeting BC's obligation to provide an accessible and sustainable legal aid system. 1/3
Dr. Henry has issued a public health order to give physicians and nurse practitioners the ability to prescribe safer pharmaceutical alternatives to help slow the province's overdose crisis.
I share Representative Jennifer Charlesworth's deep disappointment in the fed gov't decision to appeal this decision.
#decolonize
#reconciliation
#CHRT
"I wish to express my extreme disappointment at today's action by the federal gov't to fight a Cdn Human Rights Tribunal ruling ordering compensation for First Nations children and families..." Read the Rep's statement here:
#CHRT
This is the second time in as many weeks that our flags are at half-mast due to white supremacist hate. We stand with the Muslim community. We share your grief.
#LdnOnt
#Islamophobia
(1/2)
BREAKING: The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) is beyond horrified and demands justice after the horrific hate-motivated car attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario who were out for a walk on Sunday evening.
It is fortuitous that we are holding the opening ceremonies for our inquiry into hate during
#Diwali
. I hope you can join us in starting us out in a good way today, celebrating light & hope in times of darkness.
#HumanRights4BC
TODAY: B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner,
@KasariGovender
is conducting an inquiry into hate incidents in B.C. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us on Nov. 4, 2021 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. PST online at the Inquiry's opening ceremony.
#HumanRights4BC
As a young Toronto woman dies after being set on fire, experts call for violence against women and girls to be treated as a hate crime, an issue we are examining in our Inquiry into hate in the pandemic
Early on in the
#COVID19
pandemic, many raised concerns about the rise of anti-Asian rhetoric. As many people feared it might, this talk has escalated into discrimination and now violence.
Very happy to see today's news of Ontario ending its immigration detention contract with the federal government, following many other provinces incl BC. This is another important step toward the broader goal of ending immigration detention altogether
This
#16Days
, I'm working to channel my inner
@TaranaBurke
. As she says, this numbness we sometimes feel about gender-based violence is about an accumulation of feeling rather than an absence of it. Always working to translate this overwhelm into action.
Women — especially ones who weren't earning much to begin with — are bearing the brunt of the job losses, as they made up a majority of the work force in hard-hit sectors like hospitality, retail and food.
On
#HumanRightsDay
, we're celebrating BC's champions for change! People like
@TeresaPocock
, a woman with Down syndrome, who fought to decide where she lives. Who do you think guides BC towards greater equality and dignity? Chime in at
#I
♥️myhumanrights