Justice for Racialized & Immigrant Communities

BCPIAC identifies the human rights issues affecting people of colour and/or those with limited legal status as critical to its anti-poverty, equality, and access to justice work. The interests of these groups are underrepresented by our legal system. Issues of racial equality and security of status are core to a person’s identity and dignity; racial discrimination and precarious status act as fundamental barriers to accessing justice and state services for alleviating poverty. 

Racial discrimination and precarious status act as fundamental barriers to accessing justice and state services for alleviating poverty. 

For the last ten years, a core part of BCPIAC’s practice has been to provide legal representation to marginalized people of colour who experience racial discrimination and/or have limited legal status in Canada.  This has included cases involving farmworkers, tree planters, chicken factory workers, and temporary foreign workers. We have also challenged the failure to provide interpretation services by government agencies, and the imposition of debts arising out of spousal sponsorship agreements. Immigration status and language have been significant barriers to accessing justice, in addition to the poverty and relative powerlessness that frequently informs access to justice cases.