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Vancouver B.C. – BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) is launching the second phase of its free online educational sessions on systemic discrimination. Building on the success of its introductory session, which has been attended by over 500 people since 2023, BCOHRC will launch Systemic Discrimination: What We Can Do on Thursday, Nov. 21. The session is free of charge and open to all members of the public. 

The What We Can Do session builds on the foundations of the original Introduction to Systemic Discrimination webinar to provide learners with a more action-oriented look at the issue. The 90-minute virtual session incorporates real-life stories and examples of successful actions taken to address inequities in our communities and organizations. The goal is to help participants reflect on how systemic discrimination shows up in their communities, learn to identify its impacts and consider strategies to address it. 

“Systemic discrimination is an important issue in B.C., but it is often thought of as either too big or too undefined a problem to be solved,” said Commissioner Kasari Govender. “We are offering these sessions to help break down this complex concept and give people in B.C. the tools to identify and address the barriers of discriminatory systems and create a more equitable society.”  

In addition to the new What We Can Do sessions, BCOHRC is continuing to offer its introductory webinar, with the next offering scheduled on Mar. 12, 2025. BCOHRC also offers a number of other educational resources on systemic discrimination, on B.C.’s Human Rights Code and more as part of its mandate to educate British Columbians about human rights.  

Registration for Systemic Discrimination: What We Can Do is free. Please register in advance on Zoom or by contacting .  

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Contacts 

For questions about the upcoming announcement, please contact Lindsey Bertrand, Manager, Communications, at or 1-604-306-7369.  

Media kit 

Visit our media kit for images of Commissioner Kasari Govender, pronunciation guidance, bios and more.  

About BCOHRC 

BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner exists to address the root causes of inequality, discrimination and injustice in B.C. by shifting laws, policies, practices and cultures. We do this work through education, research, advocacy, inquiry and monitoring. Learn more at: bchumanrights.ca 

About the Commissioner 

Kasari Govender began her work as B.C.’s first independent human rights commissioner in September 2019.  As an independent officer of the Legislature, Commissioner Govender is uniquely positioned to ensure human rights in B.C. are protected, respected and advanced on a systemic level. In her first five-year term, her work through BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner included a public inquiry into experiences of hate in the pandemic, a report on systemic discrimination in policing, community embedded research about a range of human rights issues experienced by British Columbians, public awareness campaigns about ableism and racism and guidance to government that, among other things, informed the creation of both the Anti-Racism Data Act and the Anti-Racism Act. Commissioner Govender was reappointed for a second term beginning in September 2024.   

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