Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act 2022-2023

Forging a Brighter Future Together

This publication is available upon request in alternative formats.

List of Figures
Foreword from the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
Introduction
Part 1: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy
Part 2: Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program Highlights
Part 3: Implementation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act Across Federal Institutions
Conclusion
Annex A: List of Participating Federal Institutions

List of Figures

Figure 1: Infographic on Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy in 2022-23
Figure 2: Infographic on the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program in 2022-23
Figure 3: “Welcome" Mural
Figure 4: Collection of Statistical Data
Figure 5: Use of Data to Improve
Figure 6: Areas of Data Contribution
Figure 7: NRCan’s diverse Elders-in-Residence
Figure 8: FCC’s employees during a Blanket Exercise
Figure 9: Poster of the panel exhibition, A Community at War
Figure 10: Rates of Representation in Committees, Groups or Forums
Figure 11: Mechanisms for Gathering Input
Figure 12: Areas of Engagement with the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat
Figure 13: Artwork on banners installation at the Honoré-Mercier bridge
Figure 14: Diwali Stamp
Figure 15: Commemorative Circulation coin featuring Oscar Peterson
Figure 16: Rates of Internal and External Celebratory and Promotional Initiatives
Figure 17: Banners highlighting CSC’s multicultural staff
Figure 18: Means to Encourage Official Language Opportunities and Advancement
Figure 19: Dari-language flyer
Figure 20: Information on victim rights in the Inuktitut language
Figure 21: Communities of Focus for Discussion and Action
Figure 22: Areas of Focus for Transfer Payment Programs
Figure 23: Highlights of the Implementation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act Across Federal Institutions

Foreword from the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities

Photo of the Honourable Kamal Khera — The Honourable Kamal Khera,
Minister of Diversity,
Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities

Multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental parts of our Canadian identity. As the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, I am responsible for leading a whole-of-government approach to building a more inclusive, equitable, and just society. The work that our Government is doing to advance multiculturalism and anti-racism is a key aspect to building this type of Canadian society. It is my pleasure to share the following report to update Canadians on the progress the government has made on these critical issues over the last year. Canada’s first Anti-Racism Strategy demonstrated our Government’s commitment to combatting racism and addressing systemic barriers. This year’s Annual Report highlights our Government’s ongoing efforts to address racism and advance multiculturalism in Canada, as well as work that will lead to the renewal of the Anti-Racism Strategy in 2023-2024.

The roles of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism and the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia were provided ongoing support through Budget 2022, with an investment of $11.2 million over five years, with $2.4 million ongoing.

In June 2022, the Honourable Irwin Cotler, then Special Envoy, participated in the first International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) plenary under the Swedish Presidency. While there, Canada committed to double its annual support to the IHRA and led efforts to combat contemporary antisemitism and antigypsyism/anti-Roma discrimination, and to take a principled stance on the atrocities unfolding in Ukraine.

In January of 2023, the appointment of Amira Elghawaby as Canada’s first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia was an important step in Canada’s fight against hatred and Islamophobia. With her extensive knowledge and experience, Amira Elghawaby provides guidance and advice to support the Government of Canada’s efforts to combat Islamophobia and promote awareness of the diverse and intersectional identities of Muslims in Canada.

Furthermore, we have worked diligently to ensure that our work addresses the concerns and priorities of Canada’s diverse communities. To that end, we have completed extensive community engagements including two national summits on antisemitism and Islamophobia; one national forum on anti-Black racism; 21 roundtables on combatting hate; and 3 roundtables on the Security Infrastructure Program, a program which provides funding for communities at risk of hate-motivated incidents/crime to enhance security measures at their gathering spaces. We have been working hard to consult stakeholders in order to shape a new Anti-Racism Strategy as well as to develop an Action Plan on Combatting Hate. The series of 21 roundtables were held from March to May 2022, and further consultations were held with Other Government Departments, Provinces-Territories and National Indigenous Organizations from July to December 2022. Consultations for the Action Plan also included a questionnaire open to all people in Canada launched over the summer of 2022, to understand the ways in which the Government should combat hate and racism.

Our approach to combatting racism and advancing multiculturalism has always and will always be centered around the needs of communities. In 2023, we provided $1.5 million in funding for an endowment to support the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora. The funding provided will help the Chair to initiate, facilitate, direct, and engage in research and educational programs for advancing community partnerships that are culturally responsive and relevant to the educational, social needs, interests, and aspirations of Black and other racialized community members. This initiative will advance access, equity, and inclusivity to education through community engagement, partnership opportunities, and collaborative action.

As we review the achievements of this past year, we must also recognize the harmful consequences of racism and the barriers that Indigenous, Black, racialized, and religious minority communities still confront today. Hate, racism, and discrimination in any form have no place in Canada. Our government will continue to work tirelessly to combat racism and hatred in all its forms.

Our Government’s Budget in 2022 provided $85 million to renew Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and develop an Action Plan for Combatting Hate. Moreover, additional investment was included in Budget 2023, which provided $25.4 million over five years to continue to support Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and fight all forms of racism, including but not limited to anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia.

Multiculturalism is an important Canadian value and a significant part of our Canadian identity. I invite you to read the 2022-2023 Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act to discover the work that has been done to achieve the objectives of the Act over the past year.

The Honourable Kamal Khera,
Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities

Introduction

The Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act is a key avenue through which the Government of Canada can highlight the important work the federal public service is doing to combat racism, hate and discrimination, and its efforts to promote a multicultural society.

Diversity is one of Canada’s greatest strengths. It is a fundamental characteristic of our society and will continue shaping Canada’s identity well into the future. Statistics Canada projects that, by 2036, between 31% and 36% of the population will belong to a racialized group.^{Footnote 1} Even as Canada’s population becomes more diverse, racism and discrimination continue to limit the full participation of Indigenous peoples, Black, racialized, and religious minority communities. Police reported data on hate crimes shows that these increased by 27% from 2020 to 2021, mostly due to a rise in hate crimes targeting a given religion (+67%), race or ethnicity (6%).^{Footnote 2} Moreover, Statistics Canada research indicates that racialized communities continue to experience systemic barriers at higher rates compared to non-racialized groups, including higher poverty rates^{Footnote 3} and lower representation in management positions^{Footnote 4}. Much more needs to be done across all federal institutions to achieve a truly inclusive society free of racism, discrimination, and hate.

The Government’s commitment to multiculturalism and the fight against racism, discrimination and hate is evidenced by the many accomplishments highlighted in this year’s report. From Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and the various steps taken toward its renewal, to consultations on Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate, and funding for community projects and domestic and international engagements, the Government of Canada continued to deliver policies, programs, and services to identify and eliminate barriers to the full and equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins.

Parts 1 and 2 of this report provide a summary of the achievements of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program, and their contributions to multiculturalism and anti-racism between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. It is organized based on the following key sections:

Part 1: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy
Part 2: Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program Highlights

Part 3 of this report summarizes how other federal institutions are meeting their obligations under the Canadian Multiculturalism Act by highlighting a series of promising practices. These practices are highlighted through the following themes:

3.1 Methodology and Approach to Analysis
3.2 Collection of Data
3.3 Education and Awareness
3.4 Prevention and Solutions
3.5 Promotion and Celebration

Part 1: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy

The 2022-2023 fiscal year marked the end of Building a Foundation for Change: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019–2022 (CARS 2019-2022), Canada’s first Anti-Racism Strategy, as well as the beginning of the transition towards a new Anti-Racism Strategy, building on the first strategy’s successes and lessons learned.

CARS 2019-2022 was launched in 2019 and provided a strong foundation for longer-term federal action against racism and discrimination in Canada. The goal of the Strategy was to foster an inclusive and equitable society where all Canadians can fully and meaningfully participate in the economic, cultural, social, and political spheres. From 2019 to 2023, the Government committed $95M to combat systemic racism and discrimination in Canada, including $70M to support community organizations across the country in addressing issues of anti-racism and multiculturalism.

Budget 2022 provided the Department of Canadian Heritage with $85 million over four years starting in 2022-2023 for the development of Canada’s new Anti-Racism Strategy, or CARS 2023-2028. CARS 2023-2028 will build upon the foundation set in 2019-2022 to provide a community-driven framework offering a systemic approach to tackling systemic racism in Canada. An additional investment was included in Budget 2023, which provided $25.4 million over five years.

This section of the report provides highlights of the accomplishments of the final year of CARS 2019-2022 (including measures put in place to support the development of the new Strategy). It is organized according to CARS 2019-2022’s key pillars:

Demonstrating Federal Leadership by establishing a Federal Secretariat for horizontal coordination and institutional capacity building.
Empowering Communities through grants and contributions funding for communities combating systemic racism in justice, employment, and social participation, and through stakeholder engagement activities.
Building Awareness and Changing Attitudes by boosting availability of disaggregated data (information broken down by sub-categories, such as by specific population groups) and launching a public education and awareness campaign.

**Figure 1: Infographic on Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy in 2022-23**

1.1 Demonstrating Federal Leadership

The Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat (ARSEC) is a centre of expertise and acts as a hub, convenor, and catalyst for government and communities through leading a whole-of-government approach to combatting systemic racism, discrimination, and hate. In 2022-2023, ARSEC continued to demonstrate its federal leadership by providing support and guidance to federal, provincial, and international partners to advance anti-racism at the domestic and international levels. Additionally, Canadian Heritage continued to lead the implementation of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy as well as the development of Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate.

1.1.1 Support to Federal Partners

Throughout the year, ARSEC supported approximately 50 federal initiatives in advancing work addressing a variety of key areas, including the Employment Equity Act Review Consultation, Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy, the Strategic Immigration Review, and the Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism: Canada’s Strategy 2023. Of note, ARSEC worked with the Department of Justice to establish a Steering Group and a Community Engagement Plan for the development of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy. Furthermore, a National Restorative Collaborative Learning Conference was held in October 2022. The conference, which was funded and attended by the Department of Justice, included a specific component to ensure that a Black and racialized community perspective was represented. ARSEC worked with the Department of Justice to ensure these perspectives were represented in the Federal Delegation. The conference included a special forum entitled: Transformative Journeys for Racial Justice: An Evening in Conversation with Angela Davis, Fania Davis and Margaret Burnham.

1.1.2 United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024)

In recognition of the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent, the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat continued its work with the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, delivered by Employment and Social Development Canada, in its efforts to lead the Working Group on the International Decade for People of African Descent. Created in July 2020, the Working Group engages approximately 20 federal institutions that meet on a regular basis to ensure that federal programs, policies, services, and legislation apply an anti-Black racism lens and address the specific needs of people of African descent in Canada.

1.1.3 UNESCO Global Forum for Racism & Discrimination Workshop: Building a North American Partnership for Racial Equity and Inclusion

The second edition of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination took place in Mexico City from the 28th to 29th of November 2022. The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, then Canada’s Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, gave an address during the Forum’s opening ceremony and presented Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy to participants. In addition, the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat collaborated with officials representing UNESCO, Mexico, and the United States to host a panel during the Forum titled, “Building a North American Partnership for Racial Equity and Inclusion.” There were 13,000 guests in attendance for the hybrid panel. Panelists from governments and civil society, academia, business groups and key stakeholders spoke about the common history of white supremacy in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. They also touched on colonization, reconciliation, the plight of Indigenous Peoples and People of African Descent, slavery, and solidarity against racism and discrimination in all its forms. The discussion highlighted efforts, programs, actions, experiences, and best practices in the three nations, while sharing perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that arise to combat racism and discrimination. Furthermore, an important outcome of the Forum is that UNESCO will be the principal partner institution in the implementation of activities under the North American Partnership for Racial Equity and Inclusion. As the primary implementing partner, UNESCO will be taking the role of convenor of civil society organizations in this tripartite partnership.

1.1.4 Declaration on the North American Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice

The Declaration on the North American Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice was signed by Canada, the United States, and Mexico on January 10, 2023, in Mexico City by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Canada, the Honourable Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, Government of the United States (U.S.), and the Honourable Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of the United Mexican States. It stems from the commitment made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Joe Biden, and President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador at the North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS) in 2021 to promote diverse, anti-racist, inclusive, equitable, and democratic societies. The Declaration is the culmination of two years of deliberations involving ARSEC, representing the Government of Canada, and the governments of Mexico and the U.S. It aims to collectively address systemic forms of racism and discrimination and honour the diverse tapestry of histories, customs, cultures, languages, identities, ethnicities, abilities, and beliefs that make North America strong. It also pledges to take collective action to advance equity and racial justice under three pillars: Advancing work domestically on equity and racial justice; Establishing a Trilateral Racial Equity and Inclusion Expert Network; and collaborating through regional and multilateral organizations. The trilateral cooperation that results from the Declaration on the North American Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice continues through the NALS XI which will in be held in Canada in 2024.

1.2 Empowering Communities

A key focus of the Strategy is to support communities on the ground who have expertise in addressing various forms of racism and discrimination and this work is being done through funding and engagement initiatives. In 2022-2023, funding for anti-racism projects continued to flow to communities through Canadian Heritage’s existing grants and contributions programming. In addition, Canadian Heritage held community consultations to inform the development of the new Strategy, as well as a new Action Plan to Combat Hate.

1.2.1 Funding for Communities

The Anti-Racism Action Program (ARAP) and the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives (CSMARI) Program are two means by which the Government of Canada supports the dismantling of systemic racism and discrimination in the context of CARS.

ARAP was launched in 2019 as part of CARS 2019-2022. It was designed to help address barriers to employment, justice, and social participation among Indigenous peoples, racialized and religious minority communities. ARAP also funded projects that address online hate and digital literacy. ARAP continued to support projects with an investment of $10.8M in 2022-2023.

Spotlight: An ARAP funded project

Project: Justice pour tous / Justice for All

Funding Approved: $400,000

Description: From September 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023, funding provided by the Anti-Racism Action Program allowed the Bureau de la communauté haïtienne de Montréal (BCHM) to implement the "Justice for All" project in Montréal. This initiative was prompted by the significant over-representation of Black children in the services provided by child protection services. The aim of the project was to reduce the obstacles to justice associated with the disproportionate number of children from Black and racialized groups in Montréal's child protection system. The project resulted in the creation of a strategic action plan that will serve as a reference for systemic changes in child protection services. These systemic changes will help to deconstruct prejudices and negative messages targeting Black communities and reduce the over-representation of Black children in protection services.

The CSMARI Program predates CARS but received additional funding for initiatives that address racism. Refer to section 2.1 for more information on CSMARI’s activities in 2022-2023.

1.2.2 Consultations for CARS 2023-2028 and Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate

Twenty-one roundtable consultations were held with partners and community stakeholders across the country from March 29 to May 4, 2022, to inform the development of Canada’s first ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate as well as a new Anti-Racism Strategy. Led by the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, then Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, the roundtables engaged First Nations, Inuit, and Métis leaders, as well as leaders of Black, Asian, Latinx, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish communities, alongside several other equity-deserving groups, including newcomers, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons. Additionally, an online questionnaire was sent.

1.3 Building Awareness and Changing Attitudes

Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy recognizes that race-based disaggregated data and evidence are important tools for identifying and addressing inequities and supporting corrective action to eliminate racism and discrimination. Under CARS 2019-2022, Canadian Heritage signed formal agreements with Statistics Canada, Justice Canada, and Public Safety Canada to conduct original research on topics that advance our understanding of racism and discrimination. The 2022-2023 fiscal year saw the release of additional deliverables under the CARS 2019-2022 agreements, as well as the development of a new set of agreements with Statistics Canada and Justice Canada for additional data and research projects to advance knowledge in support of anti-racism.

1.3.1 Partnership with Statistics Canada

Canadian Heritage and Statistics Canada established a new agreement covering $1.1M over four years, starting in 2022-2023, for research and data development projects to continue the work started under CARS 2019-2022. This year, work was mainly focused on the Social Inclusion Framework, which is a framework containing indicators on social inclusion for ethnocultural groups and immigrants in Canada.

In 2022-2023, Statistics Canada released over 20 new indicators in a set of five data tables, adding up to a total of over 120 social inclusion indicators. In addition, Statistics Canada released a series of data visualization tools, allowing users to organize the indicators under 11 themes such as labour market, representation in decision-making positions, civic engagement and political participation, and basic needs and housing, health and well-being. The data can also be disaggregated by various socio-demographic characteristics and by geography.

The complete list of social inclusion indicators and a description of their corresponding derivation are accessible in the new Reference guide on social inclusion indicators for Canada's ethnocultural groups. The social inclusion framework, its indicators and now the visualization tools are products that have been released by the Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics.

In addition, Statistics Canada’s Expert Advisory Committee on Ethnocultural and Immigration Statistics held two meetings in 2022-2023. This committee provides advice and recommendations to Statistics Canada on the data, concepts, and instruments it uses to collect information on immigration, citizenship, ethnocultural diversity, inclusion and religious statistics, as well as on the analysis and dissemination of data on the population more likely to be subject to discrimination and exclusion. The committee’s activities help Statistics Canada to maintain the relevance of its ethnocultural and immigration program and continue to deliver high-quality statistics, products and services that meet the needs of Canadians and institutions. Notably, members were consulted on Statistics Canada's engagement with Canadians to revisit the “visible minority” standard.

1.3.2 Partnership with the Department of Justice Canada

Canadian Heritage and the Department of Justice Canada established a new agreement consisting of $600,000 over four years, starting in 2022-2023, for new research and data development projects that advance the Strategy’s objectives. This year, Justice Canada initiated work on several research projects aimed at better understanding how racism impacts people involved in the justice system and identifying ways to address this, including:

A data linkage project with human rights complaints bodies (in collaboration with Statistics Canada).
An additional qualitative study on serious legal problems experienced by a minority group.
Additional disaggregation of data from the Canadian Legal Problems Survey.

Additionally, Justice Canada laid the groundwork for the development of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, including establishing a nine-member Steering Group to develop a framework for consultations led by Black communities across Canada. This represents the first phase of a multi-phase approach to developing the Strategy. Next steps will involve:

Consultations with Black communities;
Report from the Steering Group on consultations;
Development of an Implementation Plan (anticipated by beginning of 2024); and
Implementation of the Strategy (2024/2025).

1.3.3 Partnership with Public Safety Canada

As part of the CARS 2019-2022 agreement, Public Safety Canada’s Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence finalized two systematic reviews in collaboration with an international social science research network, the Campbell Collaboration. The first systematic review was on Mapping the scientific knowledge and approaches to defining and measuring hate crime, hate speech, and hate incidents. The second systematic review was on Hate online and in traditional media: A systematic review of the evidence for associations or impacts on individuals, audiences and communities. These reviews will be valuable for informing policies, programs, and research to understand and address hate and violent extremism online and in-person.

Part 2: Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program Highlights

Canadian Heritage’s Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program is one means by which the Government of Canada implements the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and advances the Government of Canada's priorities in multiculturalism and anti-racism. Because of the Program’s role in delivering CARS, its objectives and activities closely mirror and/or overlap with those of the Strategy. Therefore, this section will focus on initiatives led by the Program that complement CARS, namely:

Community investments through the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives (CSMARI) Program.
Commemorative events that promote and celebrate diversity and raise awareness on issues relating to multiculturalism, racism, and hate.
Support to organizations that further the objectives of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.

**Figure 2: Infographic on the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program in 2022-23**

2.1 Community Investments: The CSMARI Program

The CSMARI Program provides funding to projects and events that promote diversity and inclusion. It has three main funding components: Events, Projects, and the Community Capacity Building component.

This year, 252 initiatives were approved under CSMARI’s Projects and Community Capacity Building components for a total approved amount of $31.5M. Funding under the Projects component supported community development, anti-racism initiatives and engagement projects that promote diversity and inclusion by encouraging interaction among community groups. Funding for the Community Capacity Building component supported activities to build the capacity of organizations to promote diversity and inclusion, such as governance training, partnership building, and volunteer recruitment.

In addition, 312 events were also approved, which reached over 3.8 million people in Canada for a total investment of $7.5M. These initiatives aim to promote intercultural or interfaith understanding, promote dialogue on multiculturalism, diversity, racism, and religious discrimination, or celebrate a community’s history and culture.

Spotlight: A CSMARI funded project

Project: Asian-Canadian Artists in Digital Age: School Workshops Enhanced by Artificial Intelligence

Funding Approved: $197,167

Description: From 2019-2020 to 2022-2023, the Program provided funding to York University to carry out a project to enable two Toronto-area school boards as well as Asian Canadian, African Canadian and Indigenous artists to widen attitudes and perspectives regarding anti-racism education and community involvement. This was achieved via a suite of arts and artificial intelligence (AI) in-person and virtual workshops in the school boards that were held on community engagement, multiculturalism and anti-racism. AI Apps were designed with the school boards and IBM on cultural colour visual recognition, culturally enhanced natural language understanding and virtual assistant. Asian Canadian, African Canadian and Indigenous artists shared best practices to overcome social and cultural barriers. The project was completed in March 2023 and reached a total of 80,000 direct participants.

2.2 Commemorative Events

Each year, the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat in the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Branch organizes commemorative events to foster recognition of the historic roots and important contributions made by Indigenous peoples, racialized, and religious minority communities in Canadian society. As with previous years, there were organized events for Black History Month, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Asian Heritage Month, and Emancipation Day.

2.2.1 Asian Heritage Month 2022

Black Heritage Month 2022 branding — Asian Heritage Month 2022:
Continuing a Legacy of Greatness

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, then Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, celebrated Asian Heritage Month in 2022 by hosting an in-person reception on May 9 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa to mark the 20th anniversary of the official declaration by the Government designating May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada. For the occasion, Minister Hussen was joined by other ministers, community leaders, and influential Canadians. The year’s theme, “Continuing a Legacy of Greatness,” was weaved into the entire evening, through live performances, tributes, and interviews that honoured and celebrated the achievements and contributions of Asian communities from across Canada.

The event served as an important opportunity for all people in Canada to learn more about the positive impact that Asian communities have made and will continue to make.

2.2.2 Emancipation Day

To mark the second national Emancipation Day in 2022, the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat engaged and contracted seven Black-led organizations across the country to plan, host, and deliver public education, art-driven, community-based activities, which raise awareness about the historic significance of Emancipation Day in Canada. A series of in-person and virtual activities were hosted by the following regional community partners between July 30 and August 14, 2022: Black Advocacy Coalition (Northern Region), Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia (Atlantic Region), La Table ronde du Mois de l’histoire des Noirs (Quebec Region), Blackhurst Cultural Centre (Ontario Region), African Communities of Manitoba Inc. (Central/Prairies Region), Foundation for Black Communities (Alberta Region), and African Art & Cultural Community Contributor CCC Inc./Issamba Centre (British Columbia Region).

2.2.3 Black History Month 2023

Black Heritage Month 2023 branding — Black History Month 2023:
Ours to Tell

In February 2023, Minister Hussen hosted the official Government of Canada celebration for Black History Month 2023 at the National Arts Centre, on Wednesday, February 8th, 2023. The year’s theme, “Ours to Tell,” was highlighted throughout the evening, through live performances, tributes, and panel discussions honouring and celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black communities from across Canada. At the event, the Minister was joined by the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, and other Members of Parliament. There were 750 people in attendance.

2.2.4 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

On March 30, 2023, a virtual forum was hosted entitled “Anti-Racism in North America: Countering the Backlash” to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The event featured notable multilateral, government, and civil society speakers from across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, including Gabriela Ramos Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO; Désirée Cormier-Smith Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice U.S Department of State; Claudia Olivia Morales Reza President of CONAPRED; and María Celeste Sánchez Sugía, a Mexican Senator.

2.3 Support to Organizations that further Multiculturalism, Anti-Racism and Anti-Hate

One of the key activities of Canadian Heritage's Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program is the provision of other grants and contributions funding to organizations that help fulfill Canadian Heritage’s mandate to deliver policies and programs that preserve and enhance the multicultural heritage of Canadians at both the domestic and international levels. Additionally, Canadian Heritage provides operational support to both the Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism and Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia in carrying out their respective mandates.

2.3.1 Jean-Augustine Endowment Fund

The Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora is an endowed university chair established in 2008 by the Honourable Jean Augustine, P.C., C.M., C.B.E., the first Black woman elected to the Parliament of Canada. The Chair is housed in the Faculty of Education at York University in Toronto and is a Research Hub accessible to racialized community agencies and members, informing policies and programming across Canada for advancing access, equity, and inclusion in education for Black and other racialized communities.

This year, an agreement was signed between Canadian Heritage and York University for funding in the amount of 1.5 million dollars to the endowment fund for the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora. This funding is to support the ongoing activities of the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora; help support the Chair to initiate, facilitate, direct, and engage in research and educational programs for advancing community partnerships.

2.3.2 Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism

The Office of the Special Envoy, in partnership with UNESCO and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR) facilitated training on combatting antisemitism in both English and French to Canadian Heritage. The materials developed for these purposes inform the development of future trainings that could be made available across the public service.

On May 26, 2022, Canadian Heritage, working with the Office of the Special Envoy, held the inaugural Jewish Heritage Month event titled Recognizing and Countering Holocaust Distortion and Denial.

2.3.3 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)

Canada, led by then Special Envoy Cotler, participated in the first IHRA plenary under the Swedish Presidency. While there, Canada committed to double its annual support to the IHRA and led efforts to combat contemporary antisemitism and antigypsyism/anti-Roma discrimination, and to take a principled stance on the atrocities unfolding in Ukraine.

The former Special Envoy also provided critical leadership at the November 2022 plenary in Gothenburg Sweden where Canada committed to submitting its second country report to IHRA in the coming year. Additionally, Canada submitted an update on its fulfillment and implementation of the Malmo “Country Pledges” made at the October 2021 Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism’ – Remember-ReAct.

2.3.4 Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia

On January 26, 2023, following recommendations made at the 2021 National Summit on Islamophobia, Prime Minister Trudeau announced the appointment of Amira Elghawaby as Canada’s first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia.

The Special Representative serves as a champion, advisor, expert, and representative to strengthen the federal government’s efforts in the fight against Islamophobia, systemic racism, racial discrimination, and religious intolerance. She is an expert on issues of equity, inclusion, and human rights.

She was a founding board member of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network and a past board member at the Silk Road Institute. She has served 2 terms as Commissioner on the Public Policy Forum’s Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression. She currently sits on the National Security Transparency Advisory Group, an independent, arms-length committee that advises the Deputy Minister of Public Safety. She was previously a journalist and human rights advocate.

Part 3: Implementation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act Across Federal Institutions

The Canadian Multiculturalism Act recognizes the crucial role that federal institutions play in preserving and enhancing multiculturalism in Canada. The Act instructs federal organizations to work towards equal opportunity and advancement in their institutions, promote capacity building to enable all individuals and communities to contribute to the continuing evolution of Canada, enhance the understanding of and respect for diversity, collect research and data to support the development of relevant policies, programs, and practices, make appropriate use of the language skills and cultural knowledge of individuals of all origins, and in general, carry on their activities to respond to Canada’s multicultural reality.

Federal institutions continue to make significant strides in responding to the Canadian Multiculturalism Act by promoting multiculturalism, strengthening diversity, and combatting racism and discrimination in their institutions and across Canada. This is demonstrated through the wide range of activities highlighted through this year’s Annual Report submissions. Significant work has been undertaken in the areas of: improving disaggregated data collection; offering anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion training in the workplace; educating and raising awareness on ethnocultural and racial diversity and the challenges faced by diverse groups; encouraging employee groups to share ideas and represent concerns in contributing to policies, programs, and practices; gathering input directly from communities; engaging with expert bodies on important issues; and celebrating the rich history and contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society.

Federal institutions also made important progress in ensuring that internal and external policies, programs, and practices are inclusive to all. This included identifying and addressing barriers to hiring and retention, and promoting career development; translation, interpretation, and leveraging the multilingual and cultural expertise of staff to increase access to programming; engaging in discussions to identify and address systemic barriers; and operating transfer payment programs that directly address systemic racism or systemic barriers. Highlights of these activities are further described below.

3.1 Methodology and Approach to Analysis

To gather information for the Annual Report from federal institutions, Canadian Heritage encouraged federal institutions of all sizes and mandates to submit their completed submissions. Of the 140 institutions that received the questionnaire, 120 of them provided a submission (86% response rate), which was similar to last year (87% response rate). Note that the response rate may differ from year-to-year as participation is strongly encouraged, but not mandatory. The list of federal institutions who contributed to this year’s report can be referenced in Annex A.

All input received was reviewed, tabulated, and analyzed based on the following four themes:

Collection of Data: Efforts to collect and use data to design evidence-based policies, programs and practices that are sensitive and responsive to the multicultural reality of Canada.
Education and Awareness: Efforts to educate and raise awareness on cultural and racial diversity and the challenges diverse groups face, and efforts to promote social inclusion and cohesion.
Promotion and Celebration: Efforts to promote and celebrate the historical contribution and heritage of communities of all origins to Canadian society.
Prevention and Solutions: Efforts to ensure the full and equitable access of individuals and communities of all origins.

The following sections provides insights on how federal institutions have met the requirements of each theme.

3.2 Collection of Data

Data provides a strong foundation for better policies, programs and practices and overall strengthens the evidence-based work of the Government, as breaking down individuals’ attributes such as gender, language, and ethnicity, enables a more comprehensive understanding of the experiences and outcomes of specific population groups. Under this theme, federal institutions were asked:

Whether they collect disaggregated statistical data on racialized communities, minority communities, and/or Indigenous Peoples (other than Employment Equity data) to develop and/or improve policies, programs, practices and/or services.
- If yes, which groups they collect disaggregated data on, for what purposes, and what relevant subject areas it has contributed to.

Federal institutions continue to make significant strides in the collection of data on ethnic, racial, and religious diversity. 50% of federal institutions indicated that they collect disaggregated statistical data on racialized communities, religious minority communities, and/or Indigenous Peoples (other than Employment Equity data) to develop and/or improve policies, programs, practices and/or services. This result is slightly lower compared to last year (52%).

Specifically, for institutions that indicated yes, they indicated that they collect data on individuals who self-identify as: First Nations (95%), Inuit (95%), Métis (93%), Black (92%), Asian (78%), Latin American (76%), Middle Eastern (75%), a member of other racialized groups (86%), Muslim (24%), Jewish (25%), Hindu (24%), Sikh (25%), and a member of other religious minority groups (24%).

**Figure 4: Collection of Statistical Data**

Federal institutions used their data to develop or improve policies (85%), programs (78%), practices (66%), and services (64%) in the areas of multiculturalism (73%), anti-racism (64%), anti-hate (36%), anti-Islamophobia (17%), and antisemitism (15%). A small percentage stated their data was not applicable to any of these areas (10%), or that they did not know (7%). Some specific examples include the use of data to guide staffing strategies and close representation gaps; improving data systems to make analysis easier, to enable better decision-making, to ensure transparency and accessibility for stakeholders; and to measure progress and impact of programs on recipients and clients. Some institutions also identified challenges with respect to collection of data. The most common challenge was insufficient timely, disaggregated data, both internally and externally. This challenge was most often expressed by small institutions, who did not have a robust system in place to systematically obtain information which would enable them to make more informed decisions. Some institutions noted that they were making progress towards having a more robust strategy for managing and using data, for example by overhauling their self-identification system. One pertinent solution is the increased sharing of data across systems, starting with federal institutions, and potentially expanded further.

**Figure 6: Areas of Data Contribution**

3.3 Education and Awareness

Education and awareness are essential in increasing understanding of diverse cultures and issues affecting equity-deserving groups and to provide tools and resources to the public and federal institutions, on how to take action. Under this theme, federal institutions were asked about:

Whether their employees participated in training relating to racism or discrimination against Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities.
Whether they organize initiatives, within or outside the workplace, to educate and raise awareness on ethnocultural and racial diversity and the challenges diverse groups may face.
Whether they have committees, groups, or forums to represent the concerns and ideas of employees who may be from Indigenous, Black, racialized communities, and/or religious minority communities.
- If yes, which groups are represented, and whether financial support is provided.
What mechanisms they use to gather input from Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities on the design, development, and/or delivery of policies, programs, practices and/or services.
Whether they engaged with Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities to gain feedback on the design, development, and/or delivery of policies, programs, practices and/or services.
Whether they engaged with expert bodies on important issues. This includes the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, and the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia.

3.3.1 Training

Federal institutions have placed a significant focus on providing diversity and inclusion training to employees. This is demonstrated through the 94% of federal institutions surveyed that indicated that their employees participated in training that addresses racism and discrimination, as well as diversity and inclusion, a figure slightly higher than last year (92%). As with previous years, training covered a swathe of topics, such as cultural awareness, racism, microaggressions, unconscious bias, and equitable hiring.

**Figure 7: NRCan’s diverse Elders-in-Residence**

**Figure 8: FCC’s employees during a Blanket Exercise**

3.3.2 Events and Communication Products

Events and communication products are important ways to supplement other forms of learning, including training. These primarily focus on raising awareness and provide resources such as webinars, podcasts, research, articles, and toolkits, to help employees learn about important issues affecting equity-deserving communities and their histories. 92% of federal institutions indicated that they had organized initiatives, such as events or communication products, either within or outside the workplace, to educate and raise awareness on ethnocultural diversity and the challenges diverse groups may face. 92% of institutions organized initiatives internally for employees and 43% of institutions organized initiatives for the public (not mutually exclusive). As with last year, no federal institutions organized initiatives solely for the public. 8% said they did not have these types of initiatives, and 1% did not know. Compared to last year (87%), the overall rate of initiatives increased, likely due to the public service, along with wider society, adjusting better to the new realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, federal institutions utilized the expertise of those with lived experiences of racism and discrimination to increase interest of staff, and to facilitate deeper discussions, for occasions such as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Emancipation Day, and the National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia, among many others.

**Figure 9: Poster of the panel exhibition, A Community at War**

3.3.3 Committees, Groups and Forums

76% of federal institutions indicated they had committees, groups, or forums to represent the concerns and ideas of employees of who are Indigenous, Black, or from racialized and religious minority communities. This result is slightly lower than last year (77%). Out of those who indicated yes, their committees, groups or forums represented individuals who self-identify as First Nations (87%), Inuit (82%), Métis (85%), Black (88%), Asian (76%), Latin American (63%), Middle Eastern (69%), a member of other racialized groups (79%), Muslim (33%), Jewish (34%), Hindu (24%), Sikh (25%), and a member of other religious minority groups (27%). For the institutions that had committees, groups, or forums, 60% of federal institutions provided financial support to conduct their activities, a significant increase compared to last year’s results (48%). The purpose of committees, groups and forums varied from institution to institution. Among several functions, they provided safe spaces for discussion of important issues, helped organize celebratory, commemorative, and learning events for staff, operated as consultative bodies to contribute to improvements to institutions’ policies, programs, and practices. Some institutions noted challenges with respect to not having committees, groups, or forums for employees from religious minority groups, but that they were seeking to establish them.

**Figure 10: Rates of Representation in Committees, Groups or Forums**

3.3.4 External Mechanisms of Gathering Input

While committees, groups and forums refer to internal mechanisms for gathering input, 90% of federal institutions had a variety of mechanisms in place to gather input externally from Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities through: networks (72%), partnerships (64%), consultations (74%), advisory councils (56%), and other outreach mechanisms (38%) such as via email, surveys, working groups, and interviews. The use of most of these mechanisms increased this year compared to the previous, where it was 65% through networks, 60% through partnerships, 69% through consultations, 52% through advisory councils, and 44% through other mechanisms. A small percentage noted they did not have such mechanisms (10%). Federal institutions used these mechanisms to improve internal practices (70%), improve the design, development, and/or delivery of their programs, practices and/or services (77%), and to reduce systemic barriers for communities (64%). While they may have had mechanisms, 18% indicated that they did not engage with Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities in 2022-2023.

**Figure 11: Mechanisms for Gathering Input**

3.3.5 Engaging Expert Bodies

This new section seeks to provide a clearer understanding of how federal institutions are engaging with expert bodies which can help them address important issues, namely disparities, challenges, systemic racism and/or barriers faced by Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities. When asked whether federal institutions engaged the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, which was established by the launch of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy in 2019, 34% said yes, 63% said no, and 3% said they did not know. Out of the ones that said yes, federal institutions also indicated which topic areas they engaged with the Secretariat on: driving justice, law enforcement, intelligence, and public safety systems reform (32%); Advancing racial equity in immigration, health, and housing systems (20%); promoting economic, social, and cultural empowerment (59%); advancing racial equity and inclusion internationally and multilaterally (46%); and other areas (37%). Examples of other areas include diversity, cultural awareness and inclusion awareness, equity, building partnerships, and accountability.

**Figure 12: Areas of Engagement with the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat**

When asked whether they engaged with the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, the Honourable Irwin Cotler, Special Envoy from November 2020 to October 2023, 41% of federal institutions said they were familiar with the role and mandate of the Special Envoy. When considering institutions that said they were familiar, 22% stated they engaged with the Special Envoy, and from those that engaged, 55% consulted or used the Special Envoy’s recommendations for policy and program development or decision-making purposes. On the other hand, 55% indicated that they were not familiar with the Special Envoy, and 4% did not know, with neither group engaging or consulting with the Special Envoy, or their material.

Lastly, federal institutions were asked whether they were familiar with the role and mandate of the first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, who was appointed on February 20, 2023. 41% of federal institutions indicated that they were familiar with the role of the Special Representative, and out of those that indicated yes, 39% intend to engage with the Special Representative to advance their institution’s work. 53% indicated they were not familiar with the role of the Special Representative and 5% were unsure.

Further work is needed to understand how and why federal institutions do, or do not, interact with expert bodies that have important domestic and international mandates. Based on initial trends, it is federal institutions with large operating budgets, and policies and programs that affect people across Canada and/or internationally, such as in the areas of economy, health, security, immigration, justice, and culture that are aligned with the mandates of the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, Special Envoy and/or Special Representative. These federal institutions have prior knowledge of, and already engage with these bodies in alignment with their work. Given that recognition and understanding of issues such as racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia is increasing, it is feasible that the indicated rates of awareness, engagement, and consultation will also increase.

3.4 Promotion and Celebration

Promoting and celebrating the historical contribution and heritage of communities of all origins to Canadian society allows us to continue to learn about each other and embrace our diversity. Under this theme, federal institutions were asked about:

Whether they implemented initiatives to promote and celebrate the historical contribution and heritage of Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities to Canadian society (e.g., events or communication products).
- If yes, which groups are promoted and celebrated, internally and externally.

92% of surveyed federal institutions implemented initiatives to promote and celebrate the historical contributions and heritage of communities of all origins to Canadian society, which is higher compared to the rate of 86% last year. 90% of institutions said they had initiatives for employees and 44% had initiatives for the public, non-mutually exclusive. A small percentage (8%) said they did not have these types of initiatives. Examples of such initiatives included email messages and intranet messages, the creation and sharing of multicultural calendars, stories and videos, and live events and performances, for occasions such as Asian Heritage Month, Black History Month, Canadian Jewish Heritage Month, Latin American Heritage Month, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, National Indigenous History Month, and many others. Federal institutions also used celebratory and commemorative days, weeks, and months to support their education and awareness efforts.

**Figure 13: Artwork on banners installation at the Honoré-Mercier bridge**

**Figure 15: Commemorative Circulation coin featuring Oscar Peterson**

Institutions that had initiatives to promote and celebrate consistently covered a wide breadth, internally and externally, for members of the following communities: First Nations (97% and 98%), Inuit (89% and 85%), Métis (90% and 87%), Black (90% and 77%), Asian (73% and 57%), Latin American (43% and 28%), Middle Eastern (45% and 26%), other racialized groups (57% and 32%), Muslim (58% and 25%), Jewish (56% and 23%), Hindu (28% and 13%), Sikh (28% and 13%), and other religious minority groups (23% and 6%).

**Figure 16: Rates of Internal and External Celebratory and Promotional Initiatives**

3.5 Prevention and Solutions

**Figure 17: Banners highlighting CSC’s multicultural staff**

Federal departments and agencies are taking concrete action to ensure that individuals and communities of all origins can equitably participate in Canadian society. To identify these activities, institutions were asked a series of questions:

Whether they had a process in place to identify systemic racism or systemic barriers experienced by Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities due to their employment policies and practices (e.g., recruitment, retention, and promotion).
Whether they had ways to ensure that people from Indigenous, Black, racialized communities, and/or religious minority communities had opportunities to learn official languages, and to meet the language requirements for their jobs.
Whether they leveraged the multilingual capacity, cultural competency and/or cultural expertise of its employees to inform and/or improve their institution’s policies, programs, practices, and services.
- As well, whether they leverage the capacity to speak Indigenous languages, Indigenous cultural competency and/or cultural expertise of its employees to inform and/or improve their institution’s policies, programs, practices, and services.
Whether they engaged in discussions on topics related to disparities, challenges, systemic racism and/or barriers faced by Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities, and worked to strengthen institutional capacity to address these challenges.
Whether they had transfer payment programs (e.g., grants and contributions) that directly address systemic racism or systemic barriers faced by Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities.

3.5.1 Recruitment and Career Development

The most voiced challenge under the theme Prevention and Solutions was representation gaps, and relatedly, challenges in recruiting and retaining diverse talents. 79% of federal institutions indicated that they had processes in place to identify systemic racism or systemic barriers experienced by Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities due to their employment policies and practices. This result was slightly higher than the previous year (78%). Institutions used a variety of methods to address barriers to employment, such as changing job requirements, through targeted internship programs, youth employment initiatives, and outreach to immigrant-serving organizations, colleges, and universities.

For both recruitment and career development, proficiency in Canada’s official languages is vital to ensure that public servants are empowered in communications internally, and to provide better services to the public. Federal institutions placed a large emphasis on providing opportunities for people from Indigenous, Black, racialized communities and/or official language minority communities to learn and maintain official language proficiency, while regularly adjusting the requirements for employment and advancement. In total, 84% of federal institutions took at least one of the following actions: allowing for non-imperative bilingual staffing (81%), supporting language training for employees from specific communities (77%), periodically reviewing the linguistic profile of positions (70%), offering self-directed learning resources or self-directed online learning (69%), maintaining unilingual English or French positions (80%), providing access to official language coaches for employees from specific communities (30%), and other methods (21%). Within responses specifying other means, most noted that they provided and encouraged language training opportunities to employees from all backgrounds.

**Figure 18: Means to Encourage Official Language Opportunities and Advancement**

3.5.2 Translation and Leveraging Language Skills and Cultural Understanding

**Figure 20: Information on victim rights in the Inuktitut language**

When asked whether they translated their material into languages other than English and/or French, 53% of federal institutions indicated yes, whereas 47% indicated no, which is the same result as last year. Two major factors in determining whether an institution did this is whether the institution has public-facing policies, programs, or services, and if so, whether translation or interpretation would markedly increase access for equity-deserving communities. Examples of languages translated for racialized and religious minority communities include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hebrew, Punjabi, Hindi, and others. Some institutions also mentioned offering material in American Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language and/or Braille. Federal institutions also emphasized translation of material into Indigenous languages to increase access of their programs and services for Indigenous Peoples, for example into Algonquin, Cree, Chipewyan, Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, Mi'kmaq, Mohawk and Ojibwe, among other languages and dialects.

The survey also asked whether institutions leveraged the multilingual capacity, cultural competency and/or cultural expertise of its employees to inform and/or improve their institution’s policies, programs, practices, and services. 68% of federal institutions indicated they did, whereas 32% indicated they did not. This is a significant increase compared to last year’s result of 56%. Based on the proportion of institutions that indicated yes to the previous question, when asked specifically about knowledge of Indigenous languages, cultural competency, and/or cultural expertise, the percentage that indicated yes was 80%, compared to 19% that indicated no, and 1% that indicated they did not know, meaning that it was very likely that if an institution leveraged the multilingual capacity, cultural competency, and/or cultural expertise of its employees, that this would include Indigenous languages, cultural competency and/or cultural expertise.

3.5.3 Engaging in Discussions to Identify and Address Systemic Barriers

Systemic barriers consist of organizational culture, policies, directives, practices, or procedures that exclude, displace, or marginalize some groups, especially Indigenous, Black, racialized, and religious minority communities, creating unfair barriers for them to access valuable benefits and opportunities. 81% of federal institutions noted that engaged in discussions on topics related to disparities, challenges, systemic racism and/or barriers faced by Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, and religious minority communities, and worked to strengthen institutional capacity to address these challenges. Many institutions noted having made commitments to diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility, either standalone, or as part of multi-year action plans which seek to create a more harmonious workplace representative of Canada’s diversity and enable institutions to do more effective work for the public, by addressing specific issues across sectors, and better serve marginalized and/or traditionally underserved communities.

These groups include: First Nations (99%), Inuit (91%), Métis (92%), Black communities (91%), Asian communities (72%), Latin American communities (56%), Middle Eastern communities (57%), other racialized groups (67%), Muslim communities (48%), Jewish communities (41%), Hindu communities (25%), Sikh communities (27%), and other religious minority groups (29%).

**Figure 21: Communities of Focus for Discussion and Action**

3.5.4 Transfer Payment Programs (Grants and Contributions)

Transfer payment programs include those that directly provide funding to individuals or organizations for specific purposes, ranging from supporting activities such as farming, entrepreneurship, community safety planning, housing, cultural and arts programming, employment, research, development of tools and resources, specific programming, and more. 36% of federal institutions indicated that they had transfer payment programs that directly addressed systemic racism or systemic barriers, while 63% did not, and 1% did not know. The results are slightly higher than last year’s, where 35% indicated yes. The transfer payment programs covered the areas of driving justice, law enforcement, intelligence, and public safety systems reform (23%); advancing racial equity in immigration, health, and housing systems (28%); promoting economic, social, and cultural empowerment (84%); advancing racial equity and inclusion internationally and multilaterally (30%); and other areas (40%). Examples of other areas include climate change and green initiatives for specific communities, Indigenous self-determination and reconciliation, research, and knowledge mobilization.

**Figure 22: Areas of Focus for Transfer Payment Programs**

Conclusion

This report provides a snapshot into the actions federal institutions took to demonstrate their commitment to the pursuit of policies and programs that reflect the essence of multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusion. Part 1 and 2 of the report focused on the actions of the core Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program, mainly in its activities around Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy across three pillars: demonstrating federal leadership, empowering communities, and building awareness and changing attitudes. Further highlights include community investments, commemorative events, and important organizations that further the mandate of the Program.

Part 3 of the report provides an overview of the activities of federal institutions in enhancing the Government’s multiculturalism and anti-racism mandate across four themes: Collection of Data, Education and Awareness, Promotion and Celebration, and Prevention and Solutions. Federal institutions collected and used data to improve policies, programs and practices for Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized, and religious minority communities; operated and promoted initiatives that raised awareness of issues faced by diverse communities to better serve Canadians, and provided tools to encourage taking action; celebrated Canada’s vibrant communities with an optimism for creating a better future; and directly made their institutions more equitable by improving hiring practices, developing the potential of employees, ensuring their knowledge and skills are effectively used, while at the same time improving access of programs and services to the public, and taking direct action to combat systemic racism, barriers, and hate faced by equity-deserving communities.

**Figure 23: Highlights of the Implementation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act Across Federal Institutions – text version**

Lastly, beyond the previously mentioned challenges, federal institutions had notable overarching challenges which apply to all four themes. First, noting the growing recognition of the importance of diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility, and the continued need for anti-racism, anti-discrimination, and anti-hate initiatives, such efforts need to be matched by ensuring that federal institutions have the capacity to respond to the everchanging reality and needs of Canada, including through ensuring that federal institutions better coordinate and support mutual efforts. A closely connected issue was the need for better training, events, and products which resonate with a workforce which is increasingly cognizant of pertinent issues such as diversity, inclusion, racism, discrimination, bias, and hate, and that is becoming more diverse itself, in terms of backgrounds, knowledge, and skillsets. Lastly, many federal institutions also recognized that barriers in Canada’s economic, cultural, social, and political spheres continue to negatively impact the lives of Indigenous Peoples, Black, racialized communities, religious minority communities, and other equity-deserving communities, and must be addressed. While the concerns are clear, it is also evident that as the importance and understanding of these issues continues to deepen, institutions are becoming better equipped and capable in response, as highlighted by the initiatives in this report. Federal institutions acknowledged that the process of change, within the workplace, and in wider society, is a long-term process that calls for continued efforts.

The work being done by Canadian Heritage and many other federal institutions is complex, involving different stakeholders and impacting numerous sectors, both domestically and internationally. While it is critical to highlight meaningful progress seen across federal institutions in strengthening multiculturalism, promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion, and addressing systemic racism and discrimination, it is also crucial to recognize the obstacles that must be overcome to see meaningful, positive results in the long-term. The Government of Canada will continue to work towards enabling the full and equitable participation of all people in Canadian society.

Annex A: List of Participating Federal Institutions

Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Atlantic Pilotage Authority
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Bank of Canada
Business Development Bank of Canada
Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Council for the Arts
Canada Development Investment Corporation
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Canada Energy Regulator
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
Canada Post Corporation
Canada Revenue Agency
Canada School of Public Service
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
Canadian Dairy Commission
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Grain Commission
Canadian Heritage
Canadian Human Rights Commission
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat
Canadian Museum of History
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Canadian Museum of Nature
Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Canadian Race Relations Foundation
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Space Agency
Canadian Transportation Agency
CBC/Radio-Canada
Centre de recherche sur le développement international
Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP
Communications Security Establishment
Copyright Board of Canada
Correctional Service of Canada
Courts Administration Service
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Defence Construction (1951) Limited (operating as Defence Construction Canada)
Department of Justice Canada
Elections Canada
Employment and Social Development Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Export Development Canada
Farm Credit Canada
Farm Products Council of Canada
Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Global Affairs Canada
Great Lakes Pilotage Authority
Health Canada
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Information Commissioner of Canada
Infrastructure Canada
Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
International Development Research Centre
Library and Archives Canada
Marine Atlantic
Military Police Complaints Commission of Canada
National Arts Centre
National Battlefields Commission
National Capital Commission
National Film Board of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
National Research Council of Canada
Natural Resources Canada
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Northern Pipeline Agency
Office of the Auditor General of Canada
Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada
Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying
Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime
Office of the Intelligence Commissioner
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions
Pacific Economic Development Canada
Pacific Pilotage Authority
Parks Canada
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board
Polar Knowledge Canada
Prairies Economic Development Canada
Privy Council Office
Public Health Agency of Canada
Public Prosecution Service of Canada
Public Safety Canada
Public Sector Pension Investments Board (PSP Investments)
Public Service Commission of Canada
Public Services and Procurement Canada
RCMP External Review Committee
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Shared Services Canada
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Standards Council of Canada
Statistics Canada and Statistical Survey Operations
Supreme Court of Canada
Téléfilm Canada
The Department of Finance Canada
The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces
The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited
The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridge Incorporated
The Royal Canadian Mint
Transport Canada
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Veterans Affairs Canada
Via Rail
Women and Gender Equality Canada

Page details

Date modified:: 2024-03-06