Vancouver’s South Asian community wants action to right historic wrongs

Vancouver city council is looking to acknowledge and address historical discrimination and ongoing racism against the South Asian community — but members of that community say words are not enough to right past wrongs.

An interim report presented at council Wednesday asks that staff work with partners to “conduct ongoing research including historical research and document analysis, data collection, and broader community engagement to inform development of recommended actions.”

But in addition to a meaningful apology from council, some people of South Asian descent say action is needed if the city truly wants to make change.

“I cannot help but feel that somewhere between 2017 and 2022, the city has lost its way. Where is the vigilance in upholding the values of equity, justice, and wellbeing for the South Asian community?” Gulzar Nanda, the chair of the Punjabi Market, told council members on Wednesday.

“I say this not to blame or guilt you, but to remind you of the values this chamber should be praised for, values that unfortunately have felt absent for the six months I have been part of this advisory group. This report recommends a $75,000 capital injection to continue our work, but it is not nearly enough. If you go ahead with adopting that ask, the resources do not meet the demands of the scope our advisory group has outlined.”

In addition to more money, Nanda says the work needed requires more full-time staff, time, and outreach.

“I’m here today as just one person. Our community is in the hundreds of thousands in the Lower Mainland,” he told council.

“The scope for the city is within Vancouver but you have to understand, over 100 years, the history in Vancouver, there’s been migration due to some of the policies that the city has. The people who are discriminated against … their families might not live in the City of Vancouver anymore and you have to be in touch with them as an institution to understand sort of what the effects of your actions were or the actions of those at that time,” Nanda added.

He feels this kind of work shouldn’t be “done on some sort of deadline,” adding work should be done in ongoing consultation with the community.

“Once the community says, ‘Hey, we’re ready to move on to the next phase,’ that the city is also lock in step with us. Throughout this process, I’ve felt that we’ve been sort of pushed in certain directions instead of being heard, and I feel like if the engagement really matters to you, you should hear us,” Nanda explained, pointing to the fact there is a municipal election coming up this fall.

The report recommends the city “explore the steps and resources that may be needed in formally recognizing Punjabi Market as a historically and culturally significant area,” as well as work to see what is needed to prioritize, create, and preserve community spaces dedicated to South Asian culture and community.

It also recommends preparations begin for a secondary street re-naming after the Komagata Maru — a ship that entered the Burrard Inlet in 1914 carrying 376 passengers from India, who were denied entry to Canada and detained on board for two months. The vessel was ultimately forced to turn back to India, where many of those on board were either killed or imprisoned.

The report notes that funding would be needed in order to continue the work, adding council would either have to “deprioritize an existing initiative to free up existing funding” or approve a new property tax to free up some cash.

This report is the result of a 2019 motion in which council asked staff to look into how the city could address historic discrimination against this group of people in the city. In doing so, staff were asked to engage with the community and work collaboratively with members.

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Council notes that anti-Indigenous, anti-Black, and anti-Asian racism, as well as other forms of discrimination, “are deeply rooted in the history of Vancouver and other communities across Canada.”

“South Asian Canadians have a long, vibrant and evocative history in British Columbia and in Vancouver,” the report reads, in part. “When looking at the South Asian Canadian communities that make up Vancouver today, the intersectionality and diversity of the sub-groups must be carefully taken into account.”

The city says there was a 43 per cent increase in the South Asian Canadian population in Vancouver between 1996 and 2016, citing the results of the 2016 Census. The South Asian community makes up six per cent of the residents of Vancouver, it adds.