VICTORIA – Today government introduced a new Discriminatory Provisions (Historical Wrongs) Repeal Act to permanently remove discriminatory provisions in historical private legislation.

This follows through on a commitment made in 2014 by Premier Christy Clark to review discriminatory legislation as part of government’s pledge to address historical wrongs committed by past provincial governments against Chinese Canadians.

Over the past year, the Province reviewed nearly 2,000 pieces of legislation dated from 1871, the year that British Columbia joined Confederation, to 1982, the year the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was introduced, to remove historical provisions (in legislation) that were discriminatory on the basis of ethnicity or place of origin.

While the ‘Chinese Legacy BC: Legislation Review Report’ released today outlines how the vast majority of B.C. laws are free from discrimination and that new B.C. laws must conform to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the report also identifies 19 obscure historical private acts that contain discriminatory provisions.

The legislation review reinforces the fact that all British Columbians have a high degree of constitutional and legislated human rights protection. At the time the discriminatory provincial legislation was enacted, there was no federal, provincial or international human rights legislation in existence, nor had the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms been enacted.

On May 15, 2014, the entire legislative assembly apologized for discriminatory and racist legislation enacted by past provincial governments in British Columbia against its Chinese Canadian community. The recommendations outlined in the Chinese Historical Wrongs Consultation final report tabled at the time of the historic apology received unanimous endorsements from all members of the House.