RECONCILIATION: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER - BACKGROUND
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INTERNAL OPERATIONS Within the organization, BC Housing has supported reconciliation by making a commitment to recruit and retain Indigenous employees through developing policies, setting goals and researching best practices; training staff organization-wide to develop a stronger cultural awareness through optional courses such as Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples and mandatory training in anti-discrimination and anti-bullying; and by developing and implementing policies to improve the organization’s business practices in areas such as procurement, recruitment, retention, and diversity and inclusion. These efforts have been reported by staff as key activities being undertaken within BC Housing in an effort to support reconciliation. To ensure that these actions are not being implemented as token gestures, it is critical that a full understanding of what reconciliation means be developed through further engagement with Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations. With an improved understanding of reconciliation, BC Housing can assess the extent to which their activities and actions support implementation, including building positive relationships, recognizing Indigenous self-determination and rethinking program decision- making. Importantly, although BC Housing currently makes reference to the importance of UNDRIP and TRC, the organization has not yet developed resources to support the application of these two documents to the staff’s day-to-day work practices. As such, TWC recommends that BC Housing commission a comprehensive review of its business practices and policies for adopting or implementing reconciliation and identify knowledge and resource gaps. This review process could be led or developed in collaboration and partnership with Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations. 3.1.1.1 Recruitment and Retention Regarding Indigenous recruitment and retention, Indigenous staff make up less than 2% of the organization’s overall staff population. 27 In 2018, BC Housing employed 718 full-time staff in six locations across the province. Twelve of those staff self-identified as Indigenous, three of which were in management roles. 28 Out of all the staff employed by BC Housing, three of them hold positions with “Indigenous” in their titles. Several steps were taken by BC Housing to help address this disparity. In 2019, BC Housing updated their Diversity and Inclusion Framework to include a strategy for increasing the number of self-identifying First Nations, Métis and Inuit employees within the organization. 29 BC Housing also started targeting their job advertisements to Indigenous candidates through online platforms, consultation with Indigenous Nations, and Indigenous-focused programs. 30 Currently, the organization is pursuing goals to improve its self-disclosure and tracking
27 BC Housing PAR Submission 2018. 28 Ibid. 29 BC Housing Diversity and Inclusion Framework, 13. 30 Ibid.
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