Thank you.
Good day to all members, witnesses and observers of the committee's proceedings.
Thank you for inviting me to appear on behalf of Pollara Strategic Insights to answer your questions about the research project we conducted on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC, in the first quarter of 2021. It is an honour to participate in the committee's important work, and I hope that I can be of assistance.
Since the committee members have already read our research report, and I have only five minutes, I'll provide a quick summary of objectives, methodology and the key findings of the study.
In 2020, IRCC conducted an employee survey that revealed that significant proportions of racialized employees consider racism to be a problem within the department. Pollara was not involved in that research; however, we were contracted by IRCC to conduct focus groups to gain greater insight into the perceptions, attitudes and experiences underlying these survey results.
The primary objectives of the focus group study were to gain insight into the impacts and nature of the racism that was witnessed and experienced within the department; identify strengths and failings of the anti-racism mechanisms currently in place; and gather input into the creation of programs and policies that would be effective at dealing with racism at IRCC and its impacts.
In order to accomplish these objectives, from March 18 to March 26, 2021, we moderated 10 two-hour online focus groups and in-depth one-on-one interviews among a cross-section of 54 IRCC employees from various levels of the organization. Participants were chosen from among those who, when completing the survey in 2020, had indicated a willingness to participate in a follow-up study, as well as those who expressed interest in participating in these focus groups from an internal call-out to volunteers within the department. Participants included both racialized and non-racialized employees, and employees in various roles and sectors of the department.
We structured many of the 10 groups into like audiences, with four groups dedicated to hosting only employees identifying as Black, one group hosting employees identifying as South Asian and one group hosting employees identifying as East Asian, or the individual communities that comprise those ethnocultural or racial categories. We also included groups that hosted employees representing a range of different racialized backgrounds and one group among non-racialized employees.
Due to the qualitative and opt-in nature of the study, results cannot be deemed representative of the IRCC workforce as a whole or specific cohorts within it. The findings are directional and indicative, rather than statistically significant and representative and definitive. However, the value of qualitative research lies in the in-depth explorations of attitudes and experiences among key audiences.
Briefly, the overarching key findings were that focus group participants had witnessed or experienced a large number of experiences of racism within the department. Focus group participants also believed that there must be racial bias and discrimination in the delivery of the department's programs, policies and client service, with particular references to case processing.
Participants also painted a picture of an organization fraught with challenges at the level of workplace culture that included unchecked racism, insufficient guidelines or training for reporting and handling reports of racism, and a deep imbalance in racial representation among management that is seen to impede progress on preventing and ending racism at IRCC.
Given these experiences, participants expressed skepticism about the department's anti-racism initiatives, suggesting that bold, decisive actions were necessary in order for employees to be convinced that management was sincerely committed to progress and results.
Thank you for listening to my high-level summary of our research project. I look forward to your questions.