Question Period Note: IRCC - Anti-Racism concerns in the media

A department wide Anti-Racism survey in November 2020 revealed that perceptions of the existence and nature of racism in the department varied significantly based on respondent racial and ethnic background, and that significant proportions of racialized employees consider racism to be a problem within the department.

• IRCC has zero tolerance for racism or discrimination of any kind. Yet that’s not enough – we must actively fight racism and continue to work tirelessly to foster a culture of inclusion, openness and respect.
• IRCC had already become aware of many of the concerns outlined in the focus group report from our own survey analysis in November 2020.
• IRCC paid for and published the report on Library and Archives Canada to ensure that we stay transparent in our anti-racism efforts.
• The department had already taken steps to address these serious issues even before the report was released.
• Actions include: The establishment of anti-racism sector commitments, sub-committees, mandatory bias training, mentoring, sponsorship programs, and leadership programs for underrepresented groups, racial impact assessment tool for policy development, and additional supports to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) employee networks.

If pressed:

• IRCC is proceeding with an Employment Systems Review to further our commitment to addressing systemic barriers and adhering to our obligations under the Employment Equity Act.
• IRCC is proceeding with a new 3 year hiring and retention strategy to address gaps in our workforce diversity to better reflect Canadian demographics.

• The Government of Canada has made strong commitments to combat racism and discrimination in our workplaces, policies, and service delivery.
• As a result of these commitments through the Privy Council’s Office, the Minister, and Deputy Ministers – our Anti-Racism Task Force “ARTF” has helped guide IRCC in researching and committing to action plans to remove systemic barriers in our practices and operations.
• As part of these plans, IRCC launched a department wide Anti-Racism survey in November 2020 as a pro-active measure to analyze the impacts of potential discrimination, bias, and racism on our employees.
• The employee survey results revealed that perceptions of the existence and nature of racism in the department varied heavily on respondent racial and ethnic background, and that significant proportions of racialized employees consider racism to be a problem within the department.
• As a result, it was determined that focus groups should be held to gain greater insight into the realities underlying the survey results.
• The primary objectives of this focus group study were to:
1. Gain insight into the impacts and nature of racism witnessed or experienced within the department;
2. Identify strengths and failings of the mechanisms currently in place to address and prevent racism;
3. Gather input into the creation of programs and policies that will be effective at dealing with racism at IRCC and its impacts
• The main finding was the substantial difference between the perceptions of racialized and non-racialized employees with regards to ongoing discrimination at IRCC based on race or ethnic origin. Along with that was the concentrated amount of micro-aggressions towards racialized employees and lack of trust in senior management.
• IRCC has since used this report to inform senior management on how we need to make directional shifts in our approach to DEI and Anti-Racism.
• The report was made public to all employees and posted on Library and Archives Canada.
• This report was not a leaked item
• The report was made public to all employees
As we grow into a better and more inclusive IRCC, we plan to explore more avenues with the Treasury Board Secretariat to improve access to disaggregate data no better equip IRCC.

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