British Columbia’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner reported on Wednesday that inequalities are baked into the western Canadian province’s justice, health and child welfare systems after taking a focused look at 10 key systems impacting human rights in the province.

The report, titled “Rights in Focus: Lived Realities in B.C.” is the first in the series, and new reports are expected to be added every three years. The study focused on ten systems that significantly impact the social, economic and political lives of British Columbians, including the criminal justice, housing, and child welfare systems and found inequities in standard of living, education and employment, with marginalized communities being affected the most. The report was developed through a combination of community-based research, surveys of direct service organizations, sectoral community grants and secondary research.

Key findings in the report were that BC residents face the highest rate of unaffordable housing in Canada, about one in nine BC residents lives in poverty, and that Indigenous and racialized people are at a severely increased risk of interactions with the criminal justice system. The report also found that one in five Canadians have experienced some form of hate, harassment or violence online.

Commissioner Kasari Govender said on the report’s release:

Such inequities impact all of us, but impact marginalized people and communities in particular. We must ensure that we place human rights considerations at the centre of key issues concerning housing, climate, child protection, criminal justice and public health because these systems are instrumental in either protecting or undermining our human dignity and rights entitlements.

The BC Office of the Human Rights Commissioner operates independently from the provincial government to ensure impartiality and effectiveness in its mandate to address human rights issues in the province through policy guidance.

The report comes at a time when the province is grappling with various human rights challenges. In January 2024, the commission began an inquiry into the use of force by the police against minorities and individuals with mental health issues. Additionally, the province saw an uptake in acts of hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The province also introduced the Anti-Racism Data Act and the Anti-Racism Act in an effort to address such instances through legislative measures.