BC Government: Multiculturalism and anti-racism strengthened by grants

Press Release

March 14, 2019

VICTORIA – Seventy-six community groups are receiving funding for projects designed to promote multiculturalism and stand up to racism in B.C. through the Province’s Multiculturalism Grant Program.

“Our communities grow stronger when we learn from each other and when we build an understanding of how we can all support one another,” said Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism. “There is no place for racism and hate in British Columbia. We must work together to stand up for equality and justice to truly eliminate intolerance and create a province where everyone is welcome.”

The Multiculturalism Grant Program promotes intercultural trust and understanding by funding projects that bring people together in creative ways to enhance multiculturalism and address racism. Projects benefiting from this latest round of grants include:

Punjab da Folk project: Through dance, music and storytelling, this project will bring Indian and Pakistani-Canadians together to improve trust, connections and understanding of each other’s shared Punjabi culture and history.
Shuswap Immigrant Services Society project: aimed at connecting youth from different cultures. Working in partnership with the local school district, this program will provide a place for students of all ethnic backgrounds to meet and get to know each other so that they can discover who is in their backyard.
Nanaimo Literacy Association project: Through verbal and written exchange, this project will bring together 10 Indigenous and refugee youth to share their stories of living in Nanaimo. The focus will be on the common aspects of their experience and the importance of working together to increase inclusion.
Centre of Integration for African Immigrants: This project is part of a three-year program to develop a youth anti-racism strategy with the goal of enhancing opportunities for youth to work successfully in B.C.

“There is great work being done to help nurture inclusiveness, understanding and mutual respect in the province,” said Naveen Girn, chair, Multicultural Advisory Council of B.C. “These grants help further these efforts so that British Columbia can become a place where everyone can take full advantage of all opportunities without facing racial barriers.”

Quick Facts:

The B.C. government provides $300,000 annually through the Multiculturalism Grant Program.
B.C. has the largest proportion of ethno-cultural diversity in Canada:
- B.C. is home to 204 First Nations and urban Indigenous and Métis communities;
- 36% of British Columbians identified as a visible minority or Indigenous in the 2016 census (51% in Metro Vancouver).
On Nov. 1, 2018, government introduced legislative amendments to the Human Rights Code that will re-establish a human rights commission for B.C. to promote and protect human rights for all British Columbians.
Organizing Against Racism and Hate (OARH) is a provincially funded program that helps communities and organizations challenge racism and hate. OARH operates as a provincial network, comprised of 36 communities that work together to address incidents of racism and hate and engage in anti-racism public education work.

Learn More:

Learn about what the province is doing to promote multiculturalism and address racism in B.C.: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism

A list of multiculturalism grant recipients can be found here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/multiculturalism/multiculturalismgrants

For a simplified Chinese translation, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Multiculturalism_and_Anti-Racism_Chinese_Simplified.pdf

For a traditional Chinese translation, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Multiculturalism_and_Anti-Racism_Chinese_Traditional.pdf

For a Punjabi translation, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Multiculturalism_and_Anti-racism_Punjabi.pdf

Contact:Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture
Government Communications and Public Engagement
250 208-4309

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