Previous research priorities

Under the Anti-Racism Data Act, we release research priorities every two years. These priorities are developed in collaboration with the Anti-Racism Data Committee and consultation with Indigenous Peoples.

We released our current priorities on May 30, 2025. This page highlights previous research priorities. This is work is ongoing and many of the previous priorities continued into 2025-2027.

Research priorities for 2023 to 2025

We released our first anti-racism research priorities in May 2023. We’ve released findings under several of these priorities since they were introduced.

Sector-based research priorities from Indigenous Peoples

  • Health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples to understand experiences from an intersectional and holistic perspective
  • Education outcomes for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students from kindergarten to grade 12 to understand experiences, including their access to and use of available supports 
  • Social determinants of safety from a holistic lens and fill related data gaps 

Additional Indigenous priorities

Indigenous Peoples also identified two other priorities that focus on how we will support Indigenous data sovereignty and conduct research:

“Advance the collection and use of disaggregated demographic data, guided by a distinctions-based approach to Indigenous data sovereignty and self-determination, including supporting the establishment of a First Nations-governed and mandated regional data governance centre in alignment with the First Nations Data Governance Strategy”

  • Research will be conducted using a distinctions-based approach that acknowledges, respects and upholds the distinct rights of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples

Research priorities from the Anti-Racism Data Committee

The Anti-Racism Data Committee recommended seven priority areas:  

  • Racial diversity within the BC Public Service and equity in hiring and career development
  • Interactions with the justice system and analysis of ‘complaints’ model
  • Health outcomes, building upon the health system performance framework to understand how the system is performing for different demographic groups
  • Understanding how students across demographic groups access and use education supports and their outcomes (from early childhood through to post-secondary education)
  • Children, youth, and family wellness in home and away from home
  • Economic inclusion, including analysis of unpaid work and foreign credential recognition
  • Homelessness, housing supply and security

How the anti-racism research priorities were developed

We invited all B.C. First Nations and Métis Nation British Columbia to help develop the research priorities.

We reviewed more than 60 reports to identify data-related recommendations, gaps or opportunities. This included reports from:

Eighty potential priority topics were identified. We shared the 80 priority topics with the Anti-Racism Data Committee, Métis Nation British Columbia and B.C. First Nations. This information helped to guide discussions around what research priorities were most important.

Each partner provided several recommendations. These were used to create a final list of 10 sector-based research priorities, and two other priorities.