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Introduction to the identity data standards

Last updated on January 29, 2026

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What is the purpose of the Anti-Racism Data Act?

The legacy of colonialism and systemic racism has shaped how the B.C. government’s programs and services are delivered. This continues to cause harm to Indigenous and racialized people in B.C.

The Anti-Racism Data Act (ARDA) became law in 2022 in response to years of advocacy and input from Indigenous and racialized communities. ARDA was also shaped by recommendations from B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner’s report “The Grandmother Perspective”, which called on government to collect race-based and other disaggregated data. The report recommended that government should only collect this data where necessary for the purpose of highlighting systemic inequalities and injustices, and to do so in a way that does not further perpetuate stereotypes. 

ARDA authorizes ministries to collect, use and share personal information such as Indigenous and racial identity data to help identify and eliminate systemic racism and advance racial equity in programs and services. With this information, ministries can identify where people are experiencing the impacts of systemic racism, such as not getting the services they need.

Projects that help to identify and eliminate systemic racism and/or advance racial equity may include: 

  • Data collection, including to determine eligibility for programs and services specifically designed for Indigenous people
  • Data use, including reporting 
  • Performance monitoring
  • Evaluation 
  • Culturally appropriate and responsive program and service delivery 
  • Other analytic activities that aim to describe, explain and find ways to address racial inequities 

To learn more, visit What is Anti-Racism Research? (PDF).

Under ARDA, the collection, use and sharing of Indigenous and racial identity data must be done in a way that supports cultural safety and prevents community harm. The Indigenous Identity and Racial Identity Data Standards help ensure this by putting guardrails around what identity information ministries can collect, use and share under ARDA. 

While ARDA has rules for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, it does not set out requirements for the full data lifecycle. The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) rules apply for parts of the lifecycle that ARDA does not cover, including data storage and protection. In this way, the two pieces of legislation work together to ensure continuity across B.C.'s privacy and data management framework. There are legal authorities in both pieces of legislation which set out how Indigenous and racial identity data can be used.

ARDA aligns with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) by requiring consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Governing Entities (IGEs) on data initiatives, including the identity data standards.  

ARDA also works alongside the Anti-Racism Act (ARA), which became law in 2024. ARA builds on ARDA’s foundation by requiring ministries to take meaningful action to address systemic racism identified through data.

Hypothetical Example: How data can be used to uncover systemic racism and result in meaningful action to address it 

Looking at provincial health data on breast cancer screening rates, there is a clear pattern: racialized people are significantly underrepresented in screening participation. Instead of assuming this is the result of individual behaviour, it’s important to shift the focus to examine how the systems may be causing underrepresentation. 

To do this, start by asking:

  • Does the health system function in ways that make it harder for racialized people to access services? 
  • Are racialized people treated differently than non-racialized people in the health-care system? How are their experiences different? 
  • Are there systemic factors that affect some racialized people’s trust in the health system?
  • What are some ways in which groups are racialized by the health system? Could these perceptions be impacting access to health services?  

Considering the above, how does the health system function in ways that may be affecting racialized people’s access to and/or trust of breast cancer screening?

This approach focuses on how systemic racism produces specific patterns, rather than having a narrow view on people or communities themselves. 

This research can build on the initial screening data to uncover:

  • Lack of language-accessible services
  • The institution responsible for the Province’s cancer screening was under direction from executives to cut costs by locating all of their screening clinics in provincially-owned buildings. These locations are all in predominately white neighbourhoods  
  •  Provider bias, where there are fewer proactive screening referrals for racialized people

Uncovering inequities through data and then conducting additional analysis to gain further understanding of potential systemic barriers and causes of the inequities can support targeted and informed solutions that respond to systemic racism in the health-care system. 

In this example, here are some solutions that the institution responsible for the Province’s cancer prevention and screening services could action: 

  • Begin including an equity analysis as a mandatory step in their decision-making processes. This could lead to directives to ensure there are clinic locations across the province and in areas with racialized and other underserved populations 
  • Make it mandatory for screening services to be language-accessible
  • Co-design outreach campaigns with diverse community health organizations and leaders

Introducing the Indigenous Identity and Racial Identity Data Standards

The data standards outline the variables and values for Indigenous and racial identity data that should be used by ministries when collecting, using or disclosing personal information for the purposes of identifying and eliminating systemic racism and advancing racial equity under the Anti-Racism Data Act.

  • A variable is any characteristic of a concept, person, object or an event that can be measured or counted (for example, age, income, eye colour) 
  • A value is a quantity or quality associated with a variable (for example, 38 years old, $78,000/year, brown)

Why data standards matter

The B.C. government does not have a consistent and culturally safe way of asking questions about Indigenous identity and racial identity. This has made collecting, using and disclosing Indigenous and racial identity data across ministries more difficult.

These data standards and guidelines provide a consistent, more culturally safe and community-informed approach to collecting Indigenous and racial identity information and support better outcomes in three key areas: 

Safely and accurately reflecting the identities of people in B.C.

  • Developed with Indigenous Peoples and the Anti-Racism Data Committee, and informed by how people identified through the BC Demographic Survey to provide options for people to more accurately self-identify
  • Reflects community input and values to build trust with people who have legitimate concerns about how their information will be used  
  • Helps reduce the over-collection of Indigenous and racial identity information by collecting the minimum information needed to identify and address systemic racism
  • The Indigenous Identity Data Standard provides a distinctions-based way of collecting Indigenous identity information to support Indigenous data sovereignty and self-determination

Improving interpretability and comparability of data

  • Creates consistency in what information is collected across ministries to increase the ability to share information and reduce redundant data collection 
  • Supports the delivery of services designed for Indigenous people
  • Supports data-informed decisions that make programs, policies and services more inclusive, equitable and responsive

Supporting research into systemic racism and program delivery  

  • Collecting Indigenous and racial identity data enables research into the unique ways systemic racism in government programs and services affects people, communities and intersecting identities 
  • Carrying out research and program evaluation using Indigenous and racial identity data that accurately reflects the identities of people in B.C. can help to reveal systemic barriers to programs and services, and lead to ways to make them more equitable
  • Publishing research allows the public to hold government accountable to address systemic racism it uncovers
  • Collecting accurate and distinctions-based information also assists in determining eligibility for programs and service specifically designed for Indigenous people

Example: Data collection and research into systemic racism can lead to improved programs

In 2024, the B.C. government released research under the Anti-Racism Data Act on diverse needs funding designations in the K-12 system. Using responses from the BC Demographic Survey and student records, researchers looked at designation rates across student groups. 

The research found that over the past 10 years, rates differed across racial groups. There are many possible reasons for this, such as families not being aware of resources or facing barriers to access specialists, and specific school district policies, programs or resources. 

Using this research as a starting point, government can explore how other factors such as gender or family income intersect with race to affect student experiences or outcomes. This information will help to make B.C.’s K-12 system more equitable so that every student has the support they need to thrive.

When to use the standards

The introduction of these data standards does not mean that all ministries should start collecting, using or sharing identity data. Only ministries that need to collect, use or disclose Indigenous and racial identity information for the purposes of identifying and eliminating systemic racism and advancing racial equity can do so under ARDA. The standards enable this to be done in a consistent and culturally safe manner. 

Both standards should be used when conducting anti-racism research, evaluation and/or analytic activities that aim to describe, explain and find ways to address racial inequities.

The Indigenous Identity Data Standard will be more commonly used by ministries working with or delivering services designed for Indigenous people to ensure culturally appropriate and responsive approaches. This is especially important where programs are designed to meet distinct cultural, legal or historical contexts.

Indigenous Identity Data Standard 

The Indigenous Identity Data Standard provides a consistent, distinctions-based way to collect, use and share Indigenous identity data. It reflects the unique rights, experiences and data needs of Indigenous Peoples. The standard is an updated version of the 2007 Aboriginal Administrative Data Standard and a product of long-standing work on Indigenous data collection, use and disclosure. 

The standard sets out how to ask questions about Indigenous identity. It also describes which response options to include and how to collect, use and share this data in a more culturally safe way.

Using a consistent, respectful and purpose-driven approach supports B.C.’s commitment to Indigenous data sovereignty. It also helps ensure that Indigenous identity data is accurate, compatible across systems and useful for planning, reporting and supporting self-governance. The B.C. government will maximize its ability and efforts to share this data with Indigenous governments, the First Nations Information Governance Centre or other Indigenous organizations designated by Indigenous governments or authorized through formal agreements. 

See the "Indigenous data sovereignty and data disclosure” section of these guidelines for more information.

Racial Identity Data Standard

The Racial Identity Data Standard supports a consistent and more culturally safe collection of racial identity data across B.C. government programs and services.

The variables and values in the standard reflect some of the ways in which people experience racialization. Collecting and analyzing racial identity data of people using government programs and services allows ministries to see where people are experiencing barriers caused by systemic racism. 

Why are there two standards and how do they work together?

Indigenous people and racialized communities in B.C. have different histories and relationships with colonial systems. These differences shape how they experience systemic racism.

Indigenous identity is historically, constitutionally and categorically distinct from racial identity. Indigenous identity is asked about separately from race and ethnicity to better reflect the unique experiences and impacts of Indigenous-specific racism.

Recognizing that Indigenous and racial identities are distinct and having separate variables for both lets people describe multiple parts of their identity. For example, someone could identify as First Nations and Black. It’s important to collect this information when looking into systemic racism, as this person might experience anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism and intersections of both.

While the Indigenous Identity Data Standard focuses on Indigenous identity (First Nations, Métis, Inuit), the Racial Identity Data Standard allows people to identify racially as Indigenous. For example, someone may enter their Indigenous identity as “I do not know / I am not sure” if, due to colonialism, they do not know their specific Indigenous identity, but they identify racially as Indigenous because they know they have Indigenous ancestry that affects how they are racialized. This type of answer should be seen as complementary, not contradictory. If someone answers differently on each set of questions, it reflects the complexity of personal identity, not an error.

Lastly, it is important to note that when collecting Indigenous and racial identity data under the Anti-Racism Data Act, the categories of Indigenous identity and racial identity are not interchangeable and questions about Indigenous identity must always be asked first, as outlined in the section about the order of data collection. 

What mechanisms are available to keep ministries accountable for following the data standards?

Section 27 of Anti-Racism Data Act (ARDA) allows the Attorney General to appoint examiners to review a public body’s compliance with ARDA. This includes looking at whether they are in compliance with the Indigenous and racial identity data standards when collecting and using personal information under ARDA.

Under this section of ARDA:

  • Ministries are required to cooperate with the examiner. This includes providing the examiner with any information or access to any record or system they may need for the examination 
  • The examiner may enter any ministry building or inspect any ministry record or system
  • The examiner may hire specialists and consultants to assist in the examination, with the approval of the Attorney General

Once the investigation is complete, examiners must submit a report setting out their findings, which the Attorney General must publish.