NCCM WELCOMES ANTI-RACISM DATA ACT IN B.C

(Ottawa – May 3, 2022) 

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) welcomes the introduction of the Anti-Racism Data Act by the government of British Columbia. The Act legislates the responsible usage and sharing of data to address issues of systemic racism in government programs. 

« Systemic racism shows up in the lives of Muslim and racialized communities in Canada in many different sites. It is crucial that our government programs not be one of those sites. The B.C. government’s Anti-Racism Data Act is an important first step to responsible data usage that is attuned to concerns of communities that have for years been over surveilled and underserved, » said Mustafa Farooq, CEO of NCCM. 

While collecting race-based data is a first step in challenging racism, it is an important step. NCCM has been advocating for better approaches to data on race and racism in Canada for many years and was part of the consultations leading up to the passage of this Act.