Question Period Note: Anti-Asian Racism and COVID-19

Anti-Asian Racism and COVID-19

• The government vehemently condemns the racism, hate and violence Asian communities in Canada are facing, particularly in the context of the pandemic. We recognize how anti-Asian racism intersects with misogyny, compounding the discrimination experienced by women of Asian descent.
• The Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat is engaging with diverse Asian communities in Canada, to identify and develop areas for action. Actions to date including an official definition of anti-Asian racism, co-created with Asian Canadian communities, and integrated into Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy.
• Through various programs, the Government of Canada will continue to support community organizations actively combatting anti-Asian racism in Canada.

• According to the data in the latest Hate Crimes Juristat provided by Statistics Canada on March 29, 2021, media outlets and police reports show that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, hundreds of anti-Asian incidents have been reported across seven provinces. In Vancouver specifically, the Police Board has reported that anti-Asian hate crime incidents have increased by 878 percent compared to 2019. The Ottawa Police Service reported a 600% increase in hate crimes against people of Asian descent, while Montreal’s SPVM reported 5 times more, and the Toronto Police Service, 51% more.
• As of September 2021, Project 1907, has reported 2265 incidents of anti-Asian racism in Canada. Canada continues to report a higher number of anti-Asian racism incidents per capita than the United States by over 100%.
• In response to these unpreceded levels of racism, discrimination and hate in Canada, the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat established the Equity-Seeking Communities & COVID-19 Taskforce (ESACT) which works with government organizations and diverse populations, including Asian Canadian communities, to align the federal response to COVID-19 with the needs of populations with daily lived experience of racism, including anti-Asian racism, and other forms of discrimination. In addition, the COVID-19 Social and Economic Impacts Research Working Group was established to facilitate the coordination and exchange of information about any insights and projects related to the impacts of the pandemic vis-à-vis PCH mandates.
• In March 2021, a gunman went on a rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area killing eight people including six women of Asian descent. The mass shooting stirred considerable outrage and fear in Asian communities around the world.
• In May 2021, the Federal Secretariat worked with Asian community leaders from across the country to co-create an official definition of anti-Asian racism which is being integrated into Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy. It is also helping those leaders make inroads within different government departments whose mandates address areas of concern for their communities.

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