COVID-19 has not impacted everyone equally. Like most crises, it exploited and exacerbated many of the existing inequalities and disparities in our society.
Low-income workers were caught between either losing their jobs or being among the first to be forced back into higher-risk workplaces. These jobs were also disproportionately held by Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) workers and in particular, women.
We need to renew our commitment to fighting for inclusion and equity across our province and in every aspect of our society. The BC Greens are committed to ensuring that every British Columbian is treated justly and has the means to benefit from our recovery strategy. Systemic racism and gender inequities exist in BC, and it will take systemic change to ensure that we move beyond words to achieve the outcomes we all wish to see. The BC Greens have and will continue to put forward systemic solutions to systemic issues with evidence-based policies.
To accomplish this goal, stimulus spending should target opportunities to correct the underrepresentation of certain genders or demographics in specific sectors, such as caring professions and trades. It should apply a “Gender-Based Analysis Plus” (GBA+) and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People Act (DRIPA) lens in policy development and implementation, address structural inequalities in wages and build on the work underway to develop a suite of genuine progress indicators to provide a more holistic view of the health of our economy.
The BC Greens are committed to addressing a number of long-standing inequities in our society—work that must be done in partnership with Indigenous peoples and BIPOC organizations and advocates.
The BC Greens' plan for Equity and inclusion
This would include a review of:
- All provincial police force contracts;
- A comprehensive analysis of funding;
- The depth of policing activity in BC;
- The roles and responsibilities of law enforcement.
Review procedures for wellness checks in consultation with Indigenous and BIPOC organizations, advocates and health professionals, with a goal of expanding the use of integrated mental health crisis teams in BC for mental health wellness checks.
This funding would be part of a larger strategy that establishes a new funding model for medical and police integrated sexual assault services, ensuring communities across BC can establish clinics that meet their needs.