Posts by Veronique Sioufi

About Veronique Sioufi

Véronique Sioufi is the CCPA-BC’s Researcher for Racial & Socio-economic Equity. She is an interdisciplinary researcher who brings expertise in labour, economic geography, critical data studies, critical race theory and communication.

Véronique is a PhD candidate in Geography and holds an MA in Communication from Simon Fraser University. Her SSHRC-funded doctoral and masters’ research explored the uneven distribution of power and precarity in digital labour markets and social media movements.

Véronique is proud of her Palestinian heritage which makes her particularly sensitive to the geographies of politics and power. She is passionate about community-driven, collaborative and hopeful research.

A convenient distraction: Is racist messaging being used in BC’s provincial election?

Oct 11, 2024

By Veronique Sioufi and Iglika Ivanova

Ever since the economy started to slow down, the political discourse in BC has shifted dramatically. Immigrants and international students are blamed for the housing crisis and for driving down wages; people experiencing homelessness, addiction or mental health crises are blamed for making public spaces “unsafe” and engaging in crime; and basic steps towards meaningful reconciliation with First Nations are framed as threats to our economic prosperity. … View Article

Tackling racial inequality in Vancouver’s housing crisis: a new community research initiative

Oct 3, 2024

By Veronique Sioufi

This initiative seeks to shed light on the racialized dimensions of Vancouver’s housing crisis and to develop data-driven housing policies that prioritize both racial equity and decolonization…. View Article

Addressing the racism of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Sep 2, 2024

By Veronique Sioufi

There is renewed attention on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in the wake of the recent damning report from the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery that calls the program “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.” Yet, the central critiques and recommendations made in the UN report are being ignored… View Article

People in poverty need policy solutions, not a report card 

Jul 29, 2024

By Rowan Burdge, Anastasia French and Veronique Sioufi

Last week, the BC Government released the first update to the Poverty Reduction Strategy since the inaugural plan in 2019. As organizations long committed to ending poverty in BC, we hoped to see plans for how the government would achieve the targets that they set in the spring—reducing the overall poverty rate in the province… View Article

Why BC needs sectoral bargaining now

Apr 4, 2024

By Iglika Ivanova and Veronique Sioufi

Too many BC workers lack meaningful access to the benefits of collective bargaining and the failure of our labour laws to keep up with the evolving nature of work is a key culprit…. View Article

Budget fails to fund enough supports for newcomers to BC

Mar 26, 2024

By Veronique Sioufi

New immigrants, temporary foreign workers and international students are bearing the brunt of the blame for the housing crisis and strain on public services where the provincial budget is failing to keep up with demand…. View Article

Evaluating BC Budget 2024’s commitments to racial equity

Mar 21, 2024

By Veronique Sioufi

Poverty reduction is a crucial element to advancing racial equity in BC, but the province’s new targets for reducing overall poverty are insufficiently ambitious and lack the urgency needed to effect meaningful change…. View Article

A paradox in COVID-19 pandemic recovery: Increased precarity of women hotel workers in British Columbia

Jan 24, 2024

By Alice Mũrage, Michelle Travis and Veronique Sioufi

REPORT: While BC’s accommodations and food services sector (AFS) received over a billion dollars in government COVID-19 subsidies, women workers—predominantly racialized and immigrants—either lost their employment or had hours and income significantly reduced…. View Article

Beyond “Happy Holidays!”: it’s time to support Canada’s increasing religious diversity

Dec 22, 2023

By Veronique Sioufi

Canada’s religious demographics have changed in the last 20 years. This is not being reflected in all facets of the structural fabric of society, particularly in the context of work and holidays…. View Article

New protections for BC platform workers entrench racism

Dec 13, 2023

By Veronique Sioufi and Iglika Ivanova

In November 2023, the BC Ministry of Labour announced new employment standards that claim to “bring fairness” to the estimated 40,000 ride-hail and food-delivery workers in BC. The move comes after a year of public engagement with platform workers, platform companies and labour experts, which brought to the fore the precarious working conditions of platform… View Article