Rising above hate: Policy options to address hate crimes and hate incidents in British Columbia

Canada is a diverse country with 22.3% of Canadians belonging to visible minorities (Wang & Moreau, 2022). Canada's history has been marked by systemic racism against visible minorities such as Indigenous, Black, and Asian communities. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, brought racism into stark relief with an increase in the number of hate crimes and hate incidents across Canada. This study examines the reasons behind the prevalence of hate crimes and hate incidents against visible minorities in the province of British Columbia. The study aims to better understand the experiences of racism in the province of British Columbia through focus group discussions involving members of the racialized communities, and also by drawing on evidence derived from secondary sources to understand the reasons behind the issue. Interviews were conducted with key informants belonging to various organizations involved in efforts to combat racism to determine potential gaps in current policies and government initiatives. The compilation and analysis of the data obtained in the study identified several key factors that contribute to the problem of hate crimes and hate incidents. Four policy options comprised of short to long term solutions have been proposed to address the issue of hate crimes and hate incidents.