NORTH VANCOUVER – North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Susie Chant says multiculturalism grant funding will help local organizations fight systemic racism throughout North Vancouver. This year, priority was given to projects addressing anti-Indigenous, anti-Asian and anti-Black racism.
“The rise in reported racism and hate crimes throughout the last year has only magnified that there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Susie Chant, MLA for North Vancouver- Seymour. “This grant will encourage those in our community to continue to work together, promote a cross-cultural dialogue and address the systematic racism in our province.”
Multiculturalism Grant funding is provided to non-profit and charitable organizations for projects that build intercultural interaction, trust and understanding, or challenge racism, hate and systemic barriers. MLA Susie Chant said that through these projects, people across B.C. will soon have improved access to tools and resources to help them learn about the diverse culture they live.
Projects in North Vancouver – Seymour receiving a grant include:
- Capilano Students’ Union Association: $5,000 – To deliver targeted services and community-building activities for Black Students at CapU, the CSU is supporting Black students in organizing themselves.
- District of North Vancouver Municipal Public Library: $5,000 – Library will connect with a local resident to tell the story of under-represented people in North Vancouver’s history.
For 2020/21, the Province is providing a $944,000 one-time boost to the grant funding as part of anti-racism initiatives through Stronger BC: BC’s Economic Recovery Plan.
This grant program is just one way the BC New Democrat government province is working to subvert systemic racism and protect human rights. The province has taken further action to tackle racism including: reinstating the B.C. Human Rights Commission after it was dismantled by the former BC Liberal government, launching an investigation into allegations of racism in B.C.’s health-care system, and developing a comprehensive, multi-year anti-racism action plan for B.C.’s K-12 education system. A special committee of the legislature is currently undertaking a review of the 45-year-old Police Act to modernize it, with a specific focus on addressing systemic racism. The BC New Democrat government is also committed to introducing a new anti-racism act and legislation on race-based data collection.
Learn More:
For a full list of grant recipeints:
For more information about the BC Multiculturalism Grants program, visit:
www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content?id=05BC37ECB1AC4C87AF86BC303937F6EF
For more information about Resilience BC, B.C.’s Anti-Racism network visit: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/anti-racism/resiliencebc