BVIP Member Resources

BVIP Terms of Reference

Anti-Racism Resources for BVIP Members

Anti-racism and the BVIP Action Plan 2021-22

Download: Anti-Racism and the BVIP Action Plan - Presentation to BVIP Members April 14, 2021 (PDF)

Why are we talking about anti-racism?

The Bow Valley Immigration Partnership is mandated to promote the inclusion and equity of immigrants in the Bow Valley.
Racial inequity is tied up in all of the work we are doing.
There is growing momentum for anti-racist work in the Bow Valley community.
Reducing discrimination is a key priority in the Bow Valley 2019-2023 Integration Strategy.

Key Terminology

Discrimination: Usually defined as behaviour that treats people unfairly because of a characteristic of their identity such as race, but also including gender, sexuality, age, abilities, religion, ancestry etc. Usually we think of the behaviour of individuals when we talk about discrimination, ex. “my landlord discriminated against me..”
Racism: When most people hear the word “racism” they also think of individual behaviour, as a type of discrimination that is based on race, ex. “that person said something racist”.
- Our current strategy names discrimination as a problem in the Bow Valley, and the main action we’ve identified to remedy that is the #BowValleyLocals campaign, which is aimed at changing beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours
Systemic racism: Systems, structures, cultures, and policies can discriminate and be racist too. For example, some people say that the requirement to have “Canadian experience” to get many jobs in Canada unfairly discriminates against immigrants. Another example would be the practice of heavier policing of neighbourhoods where many people of colour live.
This is what we are referring to in the BVIP strategy when we talk about “integration” and “equity.” We have ‘integration’ when we don’t see differences between how well immigrants are living and how well Canadian born locals are living. That is achieved when we have equity: systems that don’t unfairly privilege one group over another.
Organizational racism refers to seemingly neutral policies, practices, and unwritten rules that make it more difficult for some people to succeed. For example, sometimes hiring for “fit” can lead to discriminating against people from a different culture than most of the current staff.
- Our current strategy indirectly addresses systemic racism in a number of ways. For example, offering training to ethnocultural associations on how to get funding, helps equity-seeking groups have more access to influence in our community.
- However, the strategy does not directly name systemic racism. There is a difference between being non-racist and being ANTI-racist. We are proposing that our work also takes on an anti-racist framework so we can start to address the complicated root causes of that inequity.

We recognize the importance of developing a shared understanding of many terms related to anti-racism work, such as unconscious bias, white majority culture, etc. Developing that dictionary and training about what it all means is part of the plan we are proposing for 2021-22.

Download: Anti-Racism and the BVIP Action Plan - Presentation to BVIP Members April 2021 (PDF)