Improving access to legal services

Support PAD-led models and community collaboration

Recommendation 31: The Ministry of Attorney General should collaborate with community organizations and leaders to promote and deepen People of African Descent communities’ understanding of new legislations as they come into force. This will be particularly critical for the anti-racism legislation that requires simultaneous investments in accessible outlets to provide the People of African Descent community with competent education on their rights, privileges, freedoms and legal options.

Improving access to legal services

Support PAD-led models and community collaboration

Recommendation 32: The Ministry of Attorney General should provide funding for the Law Society and People of African Descent community organizations to run legal clinics and legal aid programs for People of African Descent, predominantly led and designed by law practitioners of African descent. These programs must be accessible from anywhere within the province and run with an anti-Black racism lens and with a clear legal advocacy strategy. The Black Legal Action Centre in Ontario is a good example of a community legal aid program for the People of African Descent community.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in entrepreneurship

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 33: The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation should work with People of African Descent business organizations to establish a permanent mechanism to understand the peculiar profiles, models, challenges, concerns, and opportunities of People of African Descent-led businesses. Using the Knowledge Hub component of the national Black Entrepreneurship Program, this mechanism would foster and enhance understanding of People of African Descent businesses contributions to the advancement of the Province.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in entrepreneurship

Enable data collection to measure and report progress in equity and diversity

Recommendation 34: The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation should ensure that the “Race-based” data legislation provides sufficient levers for business associations and chambers of commerce to collect and use data to evaluate equity of awarding decisions of existing funding schemes along the lines of gender, race, and economic background.

Deepening PAD participation in entrepreneurship

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 35: The Ministry of Citizens’ Services should establish governmental desks or offices that are competently staffed to support People of African Descent businesses and facilitate their relations with the Government.

Deepening PAD participation in entrepreneurship

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 36: The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour should unequivocally support entrepreneurs of African descent through dedicated avenues for skills, products and business promotions. Amongst key measures recommended, the Government should commit to sourcing a reasonable proportion of governmental purchases and contracts from PAD businesses.

Improving support for Black businesses and owners

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 37: The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation must commit to creating dedicated and adequate funding pathways, including grants and concessionary loans for business owners of African descent, that are less complex to access and have clearer criteria than the federal-level Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund under the Black Entrepreneurship Program. Considering historical and structural risks and biases People of African Descent businesses have to contend with, It is also critical for these programs to reduce or attenuate emphasis on collaterals by Banks.

Improving support for Black businesses and owners

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 38: The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation should invest in advisory, consulting, and mentoring services for People of African Descent businesses accessing loan programs. This should come through both a centralized funding stream through People of African Descent business organizations and a separate stream directly accessible by People of African Descent business owners.

Improving support for Black businesses and owners

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 39: The Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Division at the Ministry of Attorney General should provide dedicated funding to social entrepreneurs and not-for-profit businesses of African descent to enhance market diversity using the National Ecosystem Fund of the Black Entrepreneurship Program as a model. This is critical in promoting micro-businesses participation in the economic life of BC and to foster their growth.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in K-12 education

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 40: The Ministry of Education must actively design and implement programming to actively inform and engage students/parents on redress mechanisms independent of the education system (e.g. Human Rights Commission). The Anti-racism legislation must consider legislating an independent complaint process for racialized students and their families.