Letter to Former NDP Premier Horgan to urge recognition of the International Decade of People of African Descent
The following letter was to be sent to Former NDP Premier John Horgan alongside a supporting letter from the B.C. Greens yesterday, Monday September 21st, 2020.
Due to the abrupt call for a snap election in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic by former Premier Horgan, the letter could not be sent to any of the listed parties as the government has been effectively dismantled.
We have issued a press release to redirect our efforts to engage all three major political parties: NDP, Liberals and Greens, on the topic of recognizing and enacting a motion in support of the International Decade of People of African Descent.
Please see full letter below:
Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Color
203-2722 Fifth Street
Victoria BC V8T 4B2
domi@sniwwoc.ca
African Art & Cultural Community Contributor Society
214-3522 Glasgow Avenue
Victoria BC V8X 4X4
vaccsociety@gmail.com
Premier John Horgan
West Annex Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC V8V 1X4
premier@gov.bc.ca
john.horgan.mla@leg.bc.ca
Copied to: Minister Scott Fraser, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
scott.fraser.MLA@leg.bc.ca MLA
Andrew Wilkinson, B.C. Liberals, Leader of the Opposition
andrew.wilkinson.MLA@leg.bc.ca
MLA Adam Olsen, B.C. Greens
adam.olsenMLA@leg.bc.ca
MLA Sonia Furstenau, B.C. Greens
sonia.furstenau.MLA@leg.bc.ca
September 15, 2020
Dear Premier John Horgan and the B.C. NDP Government, Please accept this letter on behalf of the B.C. Advisory committee on the UN Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD). Our Advisory committee, composed of Black community members from across the province, continues to work tirelessly to ensure the ratification of this UN decree. Several regional forums have been held over the past two years, and our June 2020 forum drew 96 attendees on Zoom and over 400 participants on Facebook Live.
The United Nations has declared 2015-2024 the International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD). Its theme is “recognition, justice and development”. We are writing today to urge you, Premier Horgan and the B.C. government, to recognize and support the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).
Black people have lived in Canada since the beginning of transatlantic settlement, yet continue to be underrepresented and underserved. As this historic IDPAD calls for equity and change, we are asking legislators to enact this for all British Columbians. In proclaiming the IDPAD, the B.C. government recognizes that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected.
It is shamefully past the halfway point and the B.C. government has yet to show commitment to recognizing the IDPAD. If the B.C. government can formally recognize the decade, this step will result in actions to improve the lives of Black British Columbians. According to the federal government, this IDPAD is an “opportunity to highlight and celebrate the important contributions people of African descent have made to Canadian society. It also provides a framework for recognition, justice, and the creation of strategies to fight racism, discrimination, and the ongoing inequalities that Canadians of African descent face.”
Recognition of the Decade by the provincial government is needed at this time, more than ever, because we are in the midst of a second, world-wide civil rights movement and Black British Columbians continue to face racism, prejudice, inequalities, and systemic barriers to full and equal participation in society.
The UN states “Studies and findings by international and national bodies demonstrate that people of African descent still have limited access to quality education, health services, housing and social security.” Recognition of the Decade also means learning more about the issues that affect Black Canadians, including improved research and data collection, to better understand the particular challenges faced by the Black community.
The UN calls on governments to mark the UN Decade and to adopt “a national action plan to combat discrimination against persons of African descent in consultation with communities of African descent”. On January 30, 2018, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Canada would officially recognize the IDPAD.
British Columbia must act now to avoid falling further behind in this history-making time of equitable change.
Therefore, we have four specific requests:
• immediate recognition of the Decade by the B.C. government;
• paid public consultations with members of the various Black communities to understand the impacts of anti-Black racism across B.C.;
• implementation of an anti-racism strategy, with a specific focus on anti-Black racism.
• capacity-building funding for Black-led organizations, with a specific focus on access to mental healthcare.
Thank you, Premier Horgan, for your attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best Regards,
Dominique Jacobs on behalf of The Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Color (SNIWWOC)
Pulchérie Mboussi on behalf of The African Art & Cultural Community Contributor Society (AACCCS) www.issambacentre.ca