Intercultural Kootenays sent six questions to the four candidates in Kootenay-Central: Pictured above from left to right Nicole Charlwood (Green), incumbent Brittny Anderson (NDP), and Corinne Mori (Independent). Kelly Vandenberghe (Conservative) did not reply with answers by publication time. (Note: We also reached out to all Kootenay-Monashee candidates but did not receive a reply from anyone). Thank you to all the candidates who took the time to answer our questions.
Intercultural Kootenays (IK): Do you think racism/discrimination is an issue in our region?
Nicole: Yes, racism and discrimination are issues in our region.
Brittny: Racism and discrimination are issues in the Kootenays, as they are in every part of our province. They are systemic. And they can only be confronted with solutions that address our society as a whole. We’ve seen a concerning rise in hate crimes since the pandemic, and we are determined to fight racism and hate in all of its forms. That’s why our BC NDP Government passed the New Anti-Racism Data Act to safely collect data to help fight systemic racism and break down barriers in government programs. Our New Anti-Racism Legislation requires all provincial public institutions to develop and implement an anti-racism action plan to make sure everyone in B.C. can equitably access the programs and services they need.
Corinne: Only from harms inflicted through our government. My husband is from New Denver where his family was interned during WW II. This internment occurred because the BC Provincial government targeted Japanese Canadians as being a safety hazard. Assets were taken, families separated, thousands died from TB, held captive in camps and then forced to leave these communities when the war was over displacing families again…it was brutal mistreatment and the government took 40 years to provide miniscule compensation. Within one decade, this same location was used to house Doukobour children who were taken from their families because the BC Provincial government targeted these families for not sending their children to public school. Children were kept behind a fence, saw their families for one hour every 2 weeks and were not allowed to touch their parents. It took 60 years for the government to apologize and compensate $18,000 for the trauma it inflicted on these families.In 2021, tens of thousands of BC residents were forced to comply with government mandates on experimental injections and were fired from their jobs for refusing to comply with government coercion, violating legally protected rights to medical autonomy in medical decision making. These workers were denied legally established severance payouts, EI and union representation. It is now 2024 and these violations have never been addressed. Again, the same story line was used….the government identifies a group as being a safety hazard and then the rest of the population feels justified in inflicting hate and abuse to this targeted group. Discrimination is a massive issue in our region, but not everyone who experiences discrimination is recognized or protected.
IK: What issues have you been hearing from racialized newcomers to our area?
Nicole: Two days ago, I was told the story of someone who moved here with family for work. After a year of human rights violations, of asking them to suppress their identity and racial politics, they were fired. I am told that people of colour are avoided and ignored daily. They find it hard to make friends and secure housing and jobs. Children are being bullied at school. Talking to Indigenous peoples, especially women, they tell me that microaggressions can be felt daily and are not always directly from people. Take the name Queen Elizabeth on the baseball diamond that young Indigenous players and families face when they want to have fun—looking at the name of who they see as their oppressor is painful.
Brittny: I’ve heard from racialized newcomers how difficult it is when they experience racism in our community, and how many community members who are non-racialized deny that racism exists or downplay it, further adding to the harm. I’ve also heard how grateful they are to have been welcomed by kind and open community members and how fortunate they feel to be here in the Kootenays. If re-elected I will continue our work to ensure that everyone is welcome in our society – regardless of their background, sexual orientation, culture or ethnicity.
Corinne: I have not heard about any issues of racialized newcomers. My interactions with the new immigrants in this area have all reported that this region is kind, generous, and how much they enjoy living here except for the housing costs.
IK: How do you think we as a community should address racism/discrimination in our area?
Nicole:
- – Continue to support arts as an excellent vehicle for building awareness of our residents’ beautiful stories and cultures.
- – Name it to tame it and ensure opportunities are taken to address incidents:
- – Collect incident reports as relevant baseline information, map the time and location where they occurred, and inform police
- – Recruit community partners and develop a community response protocol.
- – Educate service providers, community partners and the general public on anti-racism and anti-discrimination.
Brittny: We must all be committed to being inclusive and standing against hate; at the dinner table, in the coffee shop, and in your place of work. It means standing up and addressing racism and discrimination when we see or hear it. The more privilege you have the more responsibility you have to stand up to hate in our communities. There are people who want to cause division in our society so we need to be intentional at being inclusive and focus on building community. This is difficult work, but I see it being done every day by community members who advocate for their communities, who call out hate when they see it, and who stand against discrimination and racism. Inclusivity starts in the school system, and our government is committed to addressing hate in our schools with our new K-12 Anti-Racism Action Plan.
Corinne: As stated above, the discrimination I have experienced comes from the government, not the people. As a result, this government should be removed and I am hopeful this election will communicate that this government is not acceptable to the people.
IK: How would you describe the role that local leadership (e.g., government, community leaders) should play in addressing racism and discrimination?
Nicole: We need to renew our commitment to fighting for inclusion and equity. Our work is to create conditions where people are safe, where people are free from discrimination and hatred, and where people can fully participate in society. There is no small order for a colonial system, but we can start by modelling good relationships with all residents. We should ensure safe space is available, listen to what is being experienced, and talk about what would be better. A specific measure BC Greens are working on:
- – Continue to push for Police Act reform so that hate crimes are reported and acted on respectfully.
- – Introducing legislation to prevent the misuse of non-disclosure agreements in cases of racism and harassment. They were created to protect trade secrets but are misused and have become secret settlement contracts used to buy the silence of a victim or whistleblower.
- – Ensure public servants are educated on Indigenous peoples’ history, rights and laws.
Brittny: Addressing racism and discrimination needs to happen at every level of society. The role of government is critical in addressing racism and discrimination here in the Kootenays and across the province. Our BC NDP Government has worked tirelessly to address racism and discrimination and ensure that BC is a province where everyone is welcome and where we can all contribute to our society and social fabric. There are those who try and divide us – that’s wrong and we will always stand against it. When John Rustad’s old party was in power, they cut the Human Rights Commission, and took us backward in the fight to protect human rights for all British Columbians. We need more tools to fight hate – not less.
Corinne: If you want to decrease discrimination, you must stop emphasizing everyone’s differences and highlight our common characteristics….we all want to live in communities that are happy, productive, and meaningful. Focus on the things that make life better for all of us….what skill would you like to learn so that you can participate in bettering society? What events could we organize to promote cultural appreciation? Physiologically, we are all relatives, we come from the same source. How do we learn from and enjoy one another?
IK: How do you think we can encourage more open conversations around race and inclusion in everyday life?
Nicole: Formal training in workplaces and school curricula helps get kids and adults alike talking about our hidden biases and looking for root causes. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism. Supporting community gatherings of food and arts is one of the most welcoming ways to learn about other people. I remember making a cookbook for my grade 5 class as a kid. It turns out we have many first and second-generation kids worldwide. We each picked a recipe, cooked it to share and talked about the history of the food and its people, then collected them all into a book.
Brittny: First, we need to acknowledge that racism exists and that it is systemic. We need to believe people when they tell us about their experiences of racism. We need to learn how to be better allies who listen and take guidance from racialized people on how we can best support them in these conversations. We need to be advocates who are skilled at supporting and uplifting our racialized community members. It starts by making sure that those voices are heard at the decision making table. That folks who are new to the riding and to our communities have agency and are heard. I’ve been committed my entire life to listening and learning, to welcoming all opinions, and our BC NDP will continue to fight to make British Columbia a more inclusive and open society. Racism is pervasive, and it runs deep. We have to keep taking action together, listening and working in partnership with communities to build a fairer, more inclusive BC where everyone feels welcome and safe.
Corinne: As I am married to a Japanese man and my 4 children are bi-racial, we have never experienced any negative issues on race or lack of inclusion. Maybe just treat people as people rather than trying to categorize by characteristics that we all have. None of us are some kind of pure line and our individuality is based on who we are, not what color we are.
IK: Regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, how can we ensure we continue progressing in these? How can they be measured in our region?
Nicole: We would want to identify the people who would be formally responsible for determining the relevant actions at a local level and working with the businesses, college, public servants, etc, to ensure they are working on their recommendations. Maybe there is a monthly gathering to share where everyone is for some accountability and onboarding of new participants. I am told regularly that we are still at the Truth stage, acknowledging the genocide and our role to play in healing past atrocities as the impacts live on. Ensuring regular and cumulative education for all public servants and students on the history and ongoing legacy and presence of the Sinixt, Ktunaxa, Okanagan Secwepmec, and other aboriginal peoples is vital. The number of people and what they attend can easily be tracked if the relationships are built.
Brittny: Real reconciliation means working together and finding a path forward that works for everyone. It’s about building respectful relationships with Indigenous communities and reflecting our shared desire for a fair future. We’re building strong partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and a stronger, sustainable and brighter future for everyone. We were the first province to enshrine the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into law, and our Declaration Act Action Plan contains 89 meaningful actions we are taking together to advance reconciliation, including here in the Kootenays. There is still much to be done, and we’re determined to continue this work because we know the path of partnership is the path to a stronger BC. John Rustad wants to tear up the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. He thinks that the relationship of Indigenous people to government is that of parent to child, he openly said it during the Leaders Debate. I was so utterly disappointed in this comment. John Rustad appears committed to undoing all our progress and taking us back to conflicts and fighting in court – an approach that didn’t work for First Nations, communities, businesses or investors. That’s a risk we cannot afford.
Corinne: We need to change the interaction to promote trust building first. Messaging from the government is placing shame, guilt and responsibility for past actions on to our current people. We are not the people that activated intentional harm on others, it historically has come from a government who abused its power. It is our role to ensure that the government takes responsibility for its actions and stops this pattern of abuse, decades long , which has allowed our government leadership to escape the consequences of its actions. And by government, I mean the individuals involved who initiated the plans and programs that caused suffering; legal immunity for government leaders must be removed as they have been given full authority to inflict whatever damage they want with no consequence.Deflecting this guilt onto citizens who were not even present during the enforcement of this intentional harm, is not where the blame should be placed. Our government needs to provide appropriate compensation for wrongs, then we must stop reinforcing guilt and blame on subsequent generations for actions they did not participate in.This kind of messaging will perpetuate distrust, increase conflict and dispel any hope of peaceful interaction.
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