This free roundtable aims to unpack what can be learned from Manitoba’s differing response to refugees over the past decade with the goal of developing better policies.

“Manitoba has been home to Indigenous peoples for millennia and has provided safety for people during times of conflict, from the Métis rebellion to more recent conflicts world wide,” says Shayna Plaut, executive director of the CSSRP. This talk is happening on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, 18 months since Canada’s promise to bring in Afghan refugees, and seven years since Syrian refugees began arriving in Canada. Plaut anticipates the talk will attract a robust and engaged crowd of students, practitioners, researchers, refugees (and those who work with refugees) as well as people who may identify with many hats.

“Behind these world headlines are people – people who are exercising their right to flee persecution and seek refuge. Many of these people have come to Manitoba and their arrival has been met with different responses from the government, civil society and diaspora community, and there is much we can learn,” says Plaut, who is facilitating the discussion.

“The roundtable discussion will focus on what has worked well and what hasn’t, over the past 10 years to create better polices for refugees and others who are forced to flee their homes,” says Plaut.

Jesse Hajer, assistant professor, economics and labour studies at UM, and Mona Gambo, an economics graduate student, will present their ongoing research comparing Manitoba’s response in terms of what was made available to refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and people fleeing war in Ukraine.

Other panelists include:

• Shauna Labman, executive director of Global College at the University of Winnipeg and an expert in Canadian refugee protection and policy;
• Nick Krawetz, head of communications for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities who is also an active member of the Ukrainian Canadian diaspora and one of the architects of Manitoba’s response to welcoming Ukrainians fleeing for their safety; and
• Shakila Atayee,  originally a refugee from Afghanistan, who has been a frontline worker in newcomer settlement services for nearly a decade as well as a UM masters student in social work and manager of “Be the Leader”, a youth leadership program at the Aurora Family Centre.

Plaut notes that the public policy talks, which provide outreach opportunities for faculty to present and discuss their research within the wider community in Manitoba, are one of four offerings of the CSSRP, which also include:

• bi-monthly skills workshops, which provide professional development for students, UM faculty and staff, professional organizations and the broader Manitoba community;
• a social science research series, which highlights outstanding social science research at UM; and
• research services for hire, including design consultations, ethics, data collection and analysis for non-profits, government, community-based organizations and academics.

This is the second public policy talk the centre has held, the first one being “Imagining the Peg as a Human Rights City” which had more than 100 attendees.

Upcoming talks include: “What will harm reduction look like in Manitoba?” (April) and “Newcomer and Indigenous Relations in Manitoba” (June).

“This talk is part of the CSSRP’s commitment to ensuing that policy is accessible and accountable to the wider public – and can be discussed and debated through a lens of theory and practice and lived experience,” says Plaut. The public policy talk is free and registration is required.

Manitoba’s Response to Refugees: What can we learn?
Thursday, February 9
7:30 to 9 p.m.
Aurora Family Therapy Centre Board Room
8^th Floor Rice Centre, 489 Portage Ave.
Light refreshments from Daanook.

Businesses and non-profits who do not have the staff or capacity to conduct research themselves, who require support in certain areas of research or who need assistance in training their current staff members in a particular methodology or research approach will benefit the most from the CSSRP’s services.

Attend the CSSRP virtual open house on May 5, 2022.

The CSSRP, opened in 2021, serves as a focal point for research methodologies and policy-related activities in the social sciences. Their staff and affiliates have extensive experience with a number of different research methods and are able to assist organizations and groups both internal and external to the university with their processes and analyses.

The CSSRP will host a virtual open house on Thursday, May 5 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CT to highlight their research services available for hire.

At the open house, participants will hear about the comprehensive research support the CSSRP can provide including design consultations, ethics, data collection and analysis and employee training. The centre can help with the development and deployment of a wide range of research tools such as surveys, interviews and focus groups, assist with database creation and provide analysis of quantitative and qualitative research results. In addition to hearing about what they can do, they will provide examples of their track record of projects to date.

“Being based at the university, our research staff and affiliates have extensive knowledge and experience and we offer quality work along with affordable rates to the research community,” said Dr. Royce Koop, Academic Director of the CSSRP. “Our staff work directly with clients to understand and develop what is needed, and with our knowledge in a wide range of research methods and tools, we can offer expertise to companies that they may not have the ability to develop or afford in-house.”

Specializations
While work can be conducted in research on any theme, the centre has done substantial work in equity, diversity and inclusion, helping customers assess success in their organizations, the attitudes of employees and customers and ways forward to improve EDI outcomes. Their training workshop offerings continue to expand. The centre currently offers a number of workshops for research practitioners, students and academics and can build custom workshops to meet an organization’s needs in areas such as: statistics and quantitative methods, databases and data, qualitative data analysis and software and focus groups.

The CSSRP is eager to engage with private industry and non-profit organizations across Winnipeg, Canada and internationally.

To learn more about how the CSSRP can help your organization, group or team achieve your research goals, register for the virtual open house happening on Thursday, May 5.

Contact the CSSRP
The CSSRP may be reached at cssrp@umanitoba.ca.

The findings were the results of a Faculty Workplace Climate Survey administered to approximately 700 NSE professors from 13 Canadian universities, research conducted by UM researchers Jennifer Dengate, Director of the Centre for Social Science Research and Policy; Annemieke Farenhorst, Associate Vice-President (Research); and Tracey Peter, Associate Vice-Provost (Academic Affairs); alongside Mt. St. Vincent professor Tamara Franz-Odendaal.

Analysis of the survey data collected in 2017-2018 found that gender remains key to predicting the types of experiences NSE professors will encounter during their career path. Specifically, women are significantly more likely than their male colleagues to experience workplace harassment, discrimination and general incivility. Also, students are more likely to seek support from female than male professors when feeling stress or experience harassment. In addition, women devote more time than their male peers to service work.

EDI and the sciences

The teams’ research on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the NSE fields was inspired by Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour, who they call the “foremother of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the natural sciences in Canada.”

Their paper, entitled “‘Shining Armour‘: what Margaret-Ann Armour taught us about equity, diversity, and inclusion and mentorship in the natural sciences” was published in the Canadian Journal of Chemistry, and received recognition as one of the 2021 Editor’s Choice. It was also highlighted by Canadian Science Publishing in honouring Dr. Margaret Ann-Armour.

A chemistry professor by vocation, Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour dedicated her 40-year career to gender inclusivity in Canadian science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. In 1982, she founded WISEST (Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology), a cornerstone for STEM education and gender inclusivity in Canada. Armour championed mentorship and outreach, and challenged gender-bias in her field.

According to the team’s paper, Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour “emphasized that, to make progress in natural sciences and engineering fields, we also need to make advancements in workplace EDI. Dr. Armour was among the first to recognize the need to fix the system and not women.”

Challenges faced by women science faculty

The group’s research findings support Dr. Amour’s position.

One of the researchers, Annemieke Farenhorst, notes that, “Tri-Council and other funding initiatives place an increasing importance on fully integrating EDI as part of the research enterprise in Canada, for example because research teams that are more diverse and inclusive tend to be more successful in research innovation and knowledge translation.”

“The key findings from the survey speak to some of the gendered challenges that women faculty members in Canada still face, and our data also showed evidence that BIPOC male faculty continue to experience more harassment and discrimination than white male faculty,” she adds.

“We need address the obvious systemic barriers that some academics and also students continue to face within Canadian Universities. We need to create a space were everyone can feel safe and thrive.”

Watch the video about Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour, created to supplement the published paper. It was produced by Sheryl Peters and Angela Chalmers in collaboration with Dr. Farenhorst, the Prairie NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (2011–2020). 

Read the paper “‘Shining Armour‘: what Margaret-Ann Armour taught us about equity, diversity, and inclusion and mentorship in the natural sciences”

Released by Egale Canada on June 10, the Still in Every Class in Every School report was created in partnership with researchers from the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. Tracey Peter, professor of sociology and criminology, Faculty of Arts, at UM and acting academic director for the Centre for Social Science Research and Policy, is the principal investigator.

Researchers heard from more than 4,000 students in Grades 8 through 12 across Canada in a survey about their experiences with homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, harassment, mental health and sense of safety and support at school. 

The report found that 2SLGBTQ students are still much more likely to be bullied or harassed than their cisgender and heterosexual (non-2SLGBTQ) peers, and they are less likely to feel safe at school.

Still in Every Class in Every School follows on a national survey from a decade ago, which formed the basis for the 2011 report Every Class in Every School. It was the first of its kind to show how prevalent discrimination was in Canadian secondary schools at the time. 

The new report found that 42 per cent of 2SLGBTQ students had been verbally harassed based on their sexual orientation (compared with 51 per cent in 2011) and 47 per cent had been verbally harassed based on their gender expression (compared with 57 per cent in 2011).

“The results can be summarized using the classic analogy of the glass being half empty or half full,” says Peter.

“If you take the approach that the glass is half full, the big take away is that when there is leadership in the form of anti-homophobia and anti-transphobia policies and when educators make a sincere effort to make their school a safe, diverse, and inclusive space for 2SLGBTQ+ students, these efforts translate into providing positive experiences,” says Peter.

While there has been improvement since 2011, researchers say the numbers are still far too high.

Some key findings from the new report include:

• 64 per cent of all participants reported hearing homophobic comments daily or weekly at school.
• 19 per cent reported hearing slurs against trans people daily or weekly at school.
• 30 per cent of 2SLGBTQ respondents had been the victims of cyberbullying, compared to 8 per cent of cisgender heterosexual respondents.
• 77 per cent of 2SLGBTQ Indigenous students had been harassed at school in the year leading up to the survey, the highest percentage of any group.
• 79 per cent of trans students who had been the victims of physical harassment reported that teachers and staff were ineffective in addressing transphobic harassment.

The report includes several recommendations, including ensuring that schools promptly and effectively respond to 2SLGBTQ harassment and discrimination and implement clear reporting systems. It also suggests a need to ensure resource support is provided to assist schools in the implementation of 2SLGBTQ-inclusive curricula.

The report recommends that government, policymakers, educators and the broader community have key roles to play in creating safer and more accepting schools for all.

“The results from this research have inspired me even more to continue being an advocate for all schools to be safe spaces that are both inclusive and expansive for 2SLGBTQ+ students. The results from this project give me renewed hope,” adds Peter.

Co-investigators for Still in Every Class in Every School are Christopher Campbell, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at UM, and Catherine Taylor, professor in the Faculty of Education and department of rhetoric, writing & communications at the University of Winnipeg.

The full report is accessible online. Resources and tools for educators, parents and students are available from Egale.

The Centre for Social Science Research and Policy (CSSRP), as part of the Faculty of Arts, will provide training and professional development, help to advance public knowledge of social science research and policy, provide expert consultation to researchers of all levels and offer opportunities for social science research to maximize its impact on policy development. Acting Academic Director, Dr. Tracey Peter, said, “The CSSRP will not only be an ‘incubator of ideas’ but it will also act as a forum to build partnerships assisting researchers with fundraising, outreach and the building of further research networks.”

Dr. Jennifer Dengate has been named the CSSRP’s first Director. Dengate began her academic career at the University of Manitoba, completing both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Sociology in 2007 and 2008. She completed her PhD at the University of British Columbia in 2017 and then returned to UM for a post-doctoral fellow position. Dengate brings valuable experience in survey design and administration, qualitative data collection and analysis and the incorporation of qualitative methods into program evaluation design to the centre.

Academic researchers, students, private industry and non-profit organizations are increasingly interested in using social science research methods in their own work, such as administering surveys, conducting interviews and focus groups and designing program evaluations. However, many of these groups have not had the opportunity to receive training in these methods and may not have had the time to become experienced through the usual channels, such as university classes or degrees. “The CSSRP aspires to address this gap by offering social science and policy research expertise to those who need it, including collaborating with university and community members and organizations to conduct new research projects,” says Dengate.

Another objective for the centre is to foster increased knowledge and application of Indigenous research methodologies, or ways of knowing, and community-based participatory action research. Members of the CSSRP advisory board will help to further this goal.

The CSSRP is eager to engage with private industry and non-profit organizations across Winnipeg, Canada and internationally. Connecting with UM alumni now working in the industry is an important goal to both support alumni in their current work and also learn from their experiences.

Equity, diversity and inclusion initiative
The centre is currently designing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) workshop and research consultation packages that emphasize evidence-based assessments of organizations’ unique EDI needs and the development of concrete, actionable recommendations based on these assessments.

Organizations will have the option to choose between several packages based on their particular research budgets, including evaluations of existing EDI initiatives to determine their impact and effectiveness.

The CSSRP is also currently collaborating with academic and community partners to conduct original research intended to better understand EDI in sport in Canada.

EDI research, including workplace climate surveys in academic contexts, has been a central focus of Drs. Peter and Dengate’s research over the last few years, making community EDI workshops and research consultations a natural fit and logical offering for the centre.

Certificate program for social science researchers
The centre is also working toward offering a certificate program in social science research and policy offering hands-on skills training that will help to increase the certificate holder’s employability. Workshop topics may include designing a survey, interview design, conducting a focus group or writing a research report. The program is planned to be flexible; offering everyone the option of participating in individual workshops if they have a specific interest or working towards completing a full certificate.

Dengate offers a glimpse into the overall vision of the CSSRP, “We strive to be a leader in social science research and policy by providing interdisciplinary training, consultation, support, shared infrastructure, promotion and collaboration at UM and to the wider community.”

Become a research affiliate
The CSSRP is now accepting applications for research affiliates. UM faculty, external individuals with academic affiliations and organizations are welcome. Benefits include discounts on training, opportunities to present your research at future speaker series events and the chance to increase your network. UM faculty affiliates also qualify for a discount on the use of Qualtrics software.

Join the CSSRP mailing list
To keep up to date on upcoming CSSRP news, training and events, join the mailing list at cssrp@lists.umanitoba.ca.

Donate to the CSSRP
The CSSRP gratefully accepts donations from individuals, corporations and other organizations to help support its vision, goals and objectives.

Contact the CSSRP
The CSSRP may be reached at cssrp@umanitoba.ca.