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The NDP government is bringing back B.C.’s human rights commission, which was scuttled by the Liberals in 2002 in favour of a complaint-driven tribunal.

Premier John Horgan said B.C. is the only province without a commission that can take proactive steps to address systemic inequalities and prevent discrimination based on race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

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“We have to ensure that if we allow intolerance to rear its head, we together have to stand and push it back down again,” Horgan said Friday, speaking in Vancouver’s West End two days before the annual Pride parade.

“One critical element to make sure we do that is establishing again in British Columbia, like every other province in the country, a human rights commission.”

Asked whether he thought intolerance was on the rise in B.C., Horgan said incidents have been brought to his attention over the past two years of systemic hate and racism toward ethnic and religious groups. He declined to elaborate.