BC's Bureaucrats advise government employees and officials against using the term British Columbians

They're shaking their heads at British Columbia once again across Canada, that after a document from the province's bureaucracy noted that government workers and officials should no longer refer to those who live in British Columbia, as British Columbians.

The Conservative publication True North was the first to pick up on the new guidelines, sharing some background to the bureaucratic edict last week.

The internal writing guide related to Indigenous content published by the provincial government notes that people should refrain from referring to themselves as British Columbians

The passage of note from the guidelines observing: 

The term 'British Columbians' is often used to reference people living in B.C. This term excludes Indigenous Peoples who may not identify with it. 

For many, they identify as members of their own sovereign nations and do not consider themselves part of one that has actively worked to assimilate their people. 

 'British Columbians' also excludes other groups such as newcomers and refugees. We recommend instead saying 'people living in B.C.'

As we outlined as part of our MLA's review of the weekend, the topic was one raised by Skeena MLA Ellis Ross last week in the Legislature, who drew attention to the new guidelines in the Thursday morning session.

"The NDP government in our province has introduced a new rule. They're saying calling ourselves "British Columbians" isn't right because it's exclusionary. 

I couldn't believe this until I read it on the website. 

Are you kidding? We're all Canadians, we're all British Columbians, and we've got bigger problems to solve. 

We have a housing crisis. We don't have doctors. We have an affordability problem. Instead of fixing these problems, the NDP is spending time and money trying to control what words British Columbians can and can't use and creating division. 

This effort to erase history and foster division is offensive. 

My question is to the Premier. What are you guys doing?"

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, for the most part dismissed the controversy as a distraction from the ongoing work of the province; observing how the Throne speech had made frequent use of the term British Columbians.

"Again, I agree with the member that there are a lot of serious issues that British Columbians are dealing with. It's sad that we're here in question period talking about this topic.

The Premier yesterday used "British Columbians" six times in his responses. I've used "British Columbians" probably five times already in my response. And so nobody is giving anybody…. 

There are no rules being said on what you can say, what you can't say. 

Let's use this time in question period to actually take on the important issues that British Columbians want to talk about."

The discussion on the topic is worth a review, which you can do starting at the 10:35 mark of the Thursday's Question Period.

The Lexicon of identity messaging may remain part of the Bureaucratic guidelines, but it seems unlikely that the majority of those living in the province will be adapting those mandates on language anytime soon.

It also seems unlikely that most politicians in the Legislature will be banish the term "British Columbians" from the volume of information that they share with constituents.

Premier David Eby was still using the term British Columbia as recently as yesterday, speaking on plans to recruit doctors from England for British Columbia health care needs.

The Premier observing of some touches that would make British residents feel at home in  British Columbia,

“We literally have the word British in our name, and they’ll feel very at home here — we’ve got double-decker buses in Victoria, there’s so many wonderful opportunities for British doctors to come here and enjoy everything that our province has to offer,” 

One MLA who may have studied the guidelines is North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice, who in a recent social media dispatch appears to have found the new approach to her liking.

The controversy over language is making for another bit of theatre for the rest of Canada to take in. 

As they often do , they are watching over the Rocky Mountains in bemusement at a part of the nation that they often find  curious when it comes to themes out of the political discourse.

British Columbians told to stop using term "British Columbians' because it's offensive now

More notes from the Legislature can be reviewed through our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.