The Premier says he remains committed to putting anti-racism programs in place in the province.

John Horgan says the vast majority of British Columbians would be horrified that people of colour would be treated any differently than other people in B.C.

“Racism is a scourge as is COVID-19 and we’ve been working since we formed government by taking steps to try and address that by returning the Human Rights Commission as not just a symbolic step but a place where we can address issues should the need arise,” he said, during a press conference last week.

“It’s very difficult to say that we are immune to these activities. British Columbia is not the place where racism should find a foothold.”

Horgan said he spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last Tuesday about a wide range of issues, adding that front and centre was a commitment that both governments do more than just make statements that condemn racism.

“Starting with how our education system deals with systemic racism that has and continues to exist in British Columbia,” Horgan said. “How the federal government can look at the Criminal Code to make sure that anti-hate laws are strong enough to get the results that I think all Canadians want to see.”

As for allegations of racism against Indigenous people in the province’s healthcare system, where people try to guess the blood alcohol content of mostly Indigenous patients, Horgan, in a statement said that behaviour ‘degrades the standards and provisions’ of health care in the province.

“I am outraged by reports of ugly, anti-Indigenous behaviour at multiple health-care facilities in BC,” he said. “It cannot stand. There is no excuse. There is no explaining this way.”

He was also asked about an incident from Vancouver Island, where a black man from the United States was the subject of a racist backlash from some people in his community.

“To be ridiculed because of the colour of his skin and the license plate on the car he drives is unacceptable to me,” Horgan said.

The Premier previously said the B.C. government is working together across party lines to come up with suggestions on how to better beef up its anti-racism plan. He also called on B.C. residents to step in if they witness a racist attack.