Let's Talk CIHR: Systemic Racism and Canada’s Health Research Funding System

The health research community is invited to engage in open dialogue to identify and discuss specific measures that CIHR could implement to address barriers faced by racialized and Indigenous researchers and trainees.

CIHR specifically invites the engagement of racialized and Indigenous communities with lived experience of systemic racism in the health research sector, although the online discussion is open to all. Forum and Ideas tools will run until April 7, 2021.

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From the CIHR website:

While conscious of the importance of co-developing these measures, we do not wish to increase burden on historically excluded groups by asking individuals to share expertise and lived experiences that are already well documented in the public domain. As such, our aim is to use an inclusive and transparent approach to invite discussions on systemic racism specific to CIHR’s funding system.

The objectives of this online dialogue are to:

• Identify barriers for racialized and Indigenous communities within CIHR’s programs, policies and processes, and suggest ways for CIHR to address them;
• Provide a space for dialogue with CIHR on systemic racism within the health research ecosystem; and
• Inform the development of an action plan on anti-racism that addresses systemic barriers in CIHR’s funding system.

Following this online dialogue, CIHR will host distinct small group sessions to determine what measures we can take, specific to the health research system, to:

• Address systemic barriers faced by racialized communities in our programs, processes and policies; and
• Supplement our Indigenous health research action plan in a way that further recognizes and addresses systemic racism.

We recognize that the terms racialized and Indigenous communities both encompass a diversity of individuals who have differing lived experiences. Recognizing this diversity of experience, we are offering a shared platform in order to learn from one another as a starting place in this journey.

While this initial dialogue will be fundamental to outlining the issues and barriers faced by racialized and Indigenous health researchers, CIHR recognizes the need to follow up with targeted discussions. As such, CIHR will host distinct small group sessions with racialized researchers and with Indigenous researchers to determine what actions we can take, specific to the health research system to:

• Validate, and supplement, what we heard in the online dialogue;
• Address systemic barriers faced by racialized communities in our programs, processes and policies using an intersectional approach; and
• Discuss how CIHR can supplement our action plan to build a healthier future for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in a way that further recognizes and addresses systemic racism. In the meantime, we also welcome Indigenous communities to participate in this current broader online discussion about systemic racism in Canada’s health research funding system.

This interactive website is meant to foster discussion, challenge beliefs that perpetuate biases and barriers in the system, share ideas and find solutions to inform the development, implementation, and monitoring of an action plan to address systemic racism within the health research funding system.

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