“Participants consider that the only trustworthy mechanism for reporting and escalating incidents of racism at IRCC is through an external entity, which many liken to an Ombudsman,” said the report, “IRCC 2022-23 Anti-Racism Employee Qualitative Research.”
“They want an independent body that can receive and investigate complaints anonymously and is given the power to impose consequences and report on case numbers, case progression and high-level outcomes.”
The research report, which was first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, was designed to “dig deeper into employees’ lived experiences with racism than is possible through departmental anti-racism surveys,” and subsequently put forth concrete commitments aimed at “removing barriers to equity and inclusion” for Canadians.
The report was compiled after 15 focus group sessions with department employees and managers at the IRCC, which paid almost $100,000 for the study by Pollara Strategic Insights.
According to the report, some employees said those without sufficient awareness of racial bias or a commitment to uphold the department’s anti-racism values should be denied employment and promotions.
“Many add that this must be backed by a willingness to remove employees who do not meet these criteria,” said the report.
The report said that dismantling systemic racism in the IRCC would involve “the political will to enforce a culture of zero-tolerance for racist behaviour, including removing employees who refuse to carry out their responsibilities in a way that is aligned with the Department’s stated values.”
In a report from Nov. 16, 2022, the House of Commons immigration committee cited the department for “uneven” treatment of foreign students and visa applicants depending on their country of origin. The MPs on the committee were told that a Canadian visa office in Sydney, Australia, had a 17 percent rejection rate while an office in Chandigarh, India rejected 66 percent of work permit applications.
In 2021, then-immigration minister Sean Fraser told reporters that he believed employees’ complaints were valid. “I think we in every department of the Government of Canada have to constantly be aware of systemic racism and discrimination that do exist and root them out at the source,” said Mr. Fraser.
