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Historical discrimination against people of South Asian Canadian descent

What you need to know

Council has made steps to acknowledge racism and discrimination faced by South Asian Canadians and has approved an interim report on historical discrimination.

Survey is open now

We want to hear from members of South Asian Canadian communities with ties to Vancouver about historical discrimination and ongoing racism in the city.

Complete the online survey by January 31, 2025.
Identify important places on the South Asian Canadian Cultural Spaces map.
Participate in upcoming focus groups and community sessions.

Learn more and take the survey

On July 5, 2022, City Council took a step forward in recognizing South Asian Canadian racism and discrimination by approving the interim report on historical discrimination.

We are working with South Asian Canadian communities to conduct further research and broader community engagement. Our goal is to refine and expand on Council's recommendations to address South Asian Canadian racism and discrimination.

Review the interim report (1.3 MB)

Addressing South Asian Canadian racism in Vancouver

Watch in your language:

Watch and gain insights on an overview of the Historical Discrimination against People of South Asian Canadian Descent interim report.

This video casts a light on the enduring effects of racism on South Asian Canadian communities and makes the complex issues of racism and the City's redress work more accessible.

Community insights

A community advisory group along with subject matter experts from South Asian Canadian communities provided input and some initial recommendations to guide our work.

Review the What We Learned So Far engagement summary (825 KB) Review the What We Learned So Far summary (simplified format) (140 KB)

Work to date
Phase 1
- July 2019: Vancouver City Council put forward a motion to address historic discrimination against South Asian Canadian communities in Vancouver.
- August 2021: We hired a South Asian redress planner who began work with community partners and our departments to advance efforts to address past injustices with South Asian communities.
- January 2022: We brought together a community advisory group of key stakeholders from South Asian Canadian communities to discuss key points related to the motion.
  - The key points included feedback on:
    
    An official City apology
    
    Potential actions to address past wrongs and ongoing racism
  - The group was made up of seniors, academics, historians, researchers, students, artists, professionals, business and community leaders, and more.
- July 2022: Council passed the Historical Discrimination against People of South Asian Canadian Descent interim report (1.3 MB).
- May 2023: Council passed the Commemorating the Komagata Maru Incident: Secondary naming of a street report (1.6 MB).
- February 9, 2024: Canada Place was given a secondary honorary name of Komagata Maru Place to raise awareness about the historic tragedy.

Next steps

Phase 2

Broader community engagement begins
We will begin broader community engagement using various outreach methods such as surveys, mapping activities, open community sessions and smaller focus groups to reach as many people as possible.
Phase 3

Expanding research and raising awareness

We will be researching historical and on-going discrimination, understanding its impacts, and sharing South Asian Canadian history with communities.
Phase 4

Report to Council

We will present findings on historical research, impacts of discrimination, and recommended actions for Council to consider.
Phase 5

Issuing an official apology

We learned in our initial engagement that a meaningful apology requires actionable steps, dedicated funding, and long-term commitment.