COVID-19 in Canada - A One-year Update on Social and Economic Impacts ( Statistics Canada - March 2021 )

[Colour of Poverty]

Colour of Change Network members - see below and attached a recent report from Statistics Canada - COVID-19 in Canada - A One-year Update on Social and Economic Impacts ( Statistics Canada - March 2021 ) - as well as some worthwhile and valuable equity and racial justice relevant references that we have identified in the document !

fyi - michael

General equity and racial justice relevant updates -

Statistics Canada has expanded its data products, producing more disaggregated data, to accurately monitor and report on the experiences of Canadians.

For example - as of July 2020, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) now includes a question with respect to people of colour - and they're developing methods that will produce disaggregated data on race using previously-released LFS data. ( on page 15 ).

They have made several improvements and enhancement with respect to the ethno-racial and other equity-related questions - allowing for richer disaggregated data analysis - from the upcoming 2021 Canadian Census of Population.

They are also working with Indigenous leaders and organizations - as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities - to further their understanding of the social and economic impacts of the pandemic and to help bolster their data management capacity and expertise ( page 28 ).

Some equity and racial justice relevant excerpts -

1) Proportion of Canadians not very likely to get a vaccine ( samples from September 2020 - page 5 ) -

- white - 51%

- Chinese - 51%

- South Asian - 52%

- Arab - 53%

- Southeast Asian - 56%

- Filipino - 58%

- Latin American - 67%

- Black - 77%

2) Percentage of workers employed in the health care and social assistance industry, by population groups designated as peoples of colour ( January 2021 - page 6 ) -

- Filipino Canadians - 20.4%

- Black Canadians - 19.3%

- Southeast Asian - 13.3%

- Latin American - 12.9%

- South Asian - 12.7%

- Chinese - 9.9%

- Arab - 8.7%

- white - 13.8%

• before the pandemic, peoples of colour were overrepresented in these occupations - 34% of workers identified as people of colour, compared with 21% in all other occupations.

• the proportion of immigrants employed as nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates rose from 22% to 36% between 1996 and 2016.

3) Correctional services have reduced custodial populations during  the pandemic ( as of February 2021 - page 8 ) -

- from February 2020, the average daily count of adults in federal, provincial and territorial custody was down 16% by April 2020 and 19% by June 2020 ( those in federal custody declined by 5%, whereas counts were down by 28% for provincial and territorial custody )

- as of February 17, 2021, there were 1,304 positive cases among inmates in federal correctional institutions. Of these cases, most had recovered (95%), while there were still some active cases (4%) and five deaths.

4) Calls for police services increasingly linked to mental-health ( 2019 and 2020 - page 14 ) -

- compared with 2019, the number of calls for service increased by 8% during the first 8 months of the pandemic, particularly wellness checks (+13%), mental health-related calls such as a person in emotional crisis (+12%), and domestic disturbances (+8%)

5) COVID-19 mortality rates reveal the uneven health impacts of the pandemic ( page 16 ) -

- areas with the highest proportion (25% or more) of population groups designated as peoples of colour had a COVID-19 mortality rate about 2 times higher than those with the lowest proportion (less than 1%). With rates from 35-50% higher for men over women !

- the mortality rate was more than 3 times higher in the highest-proportion areas than the lowest-proportion ones in Quebec and Ontario - and more than 10 times higher in British Columbia, despite a much lower overall mortality rate.

- Indigenous groups are experiencing greater health impacts ( page 18 )

6) Greater impacts on Indigenous people could widen pre-pandemic inequalities ( page 19 ) -

- prior to the pandemic, the unemployment rate among Indigenous Peoples was 1.8 times the rate among non-Indigenous people, reflecting long-lasting disparities in labour market conditions.

-  by the end of 2020, unemployment remained higher among Indigenous Peoples - 12% and 11% among Indigenous men and women respectively, compared with 8% among non-Indigenous men and women.

7) Greater financial impacts on peoples of colour could threaten an inclusive recovery ( page 20 ) -

Unemployment rate, by population groups designated as peoples of colour ( January 2021 ) -

Filipino - 8.1%

South Asian - 9.6%

Chinese - 10.8%

Arab - 13.1%

Black - 16.4%

Latin American - 16.6%

Southeast Asian - 20.1%

All peoples of colour - 12.0%

White - 8.9%

8) Low-wage workers continue to be among those hit hardest by lockdowns ( page 21 ) -

- low-wage workers were much more severely impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns than by the 2008/2009 recession.

-  by the end of 2020, paid employment at significant hours was, for those in the bottom wage decile, 39% lower than in December 2019 - while it was 16% higher in the top wage decile.

- differences in the ability to work from home contribute to higher earnings inequality. ( page 22-23 )

9) International postsecondary students ( largely people of colour ) are facing higher fees ( page 27 ) -

- average tuition fees for international undergraduate and graduate students in Canada rose 7.1% to $32,019 and 7.3% to $19,252, respectively, in 2020/2021 - while Canadian students enrolled full time in undergraduate programs will pay $6,580 on average in 2020/2021, up only 1.7% from the previous year, with the average cost for graduate programs rising by only 1.6% to $7,304.

10) Workers in lower-paying service industries remain severely affected ( page 36 ) -

- as of December 2020, employment at significant hours was 4.7% lower overall than it was in December 2019 - while in accommodation and food services the gap was 30%, and 39% in arts, entertainment and recreation.

11) As restrictions ease, a rebound in immigration will be critical to labour-market recovery ( page 38 ) - 

- immigration accounts for much of the overall growth in Canada’s labour force. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of new immigrants admitted to Canada has been down about 60%.

12) Capital plans in many industries were severely impacted by COVID-19, creating uncertainty around the key drivers of business investment ( page 45 ) -

-  though asking the question - "To what extent can new investment opportunities support a recovery in capital spending ?" - there's no mention of the need to build "employment equity" and other needed equity-informed measures and principles into all infrastructure and capital investment outcomes !?

13) Growth in environmental and clean technology products ( ECTP ) accelerated before the pandemic ( page 47 ) -

- the question is posed - "Going forward, will investment in new ECTPs provide reasonable stimulus for job and  income growth?" - but again - there's no mention of the need to build "fair and equitable labour market outcomes" into the analytical framework and outcome expectations for a green economy !?

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michael kerr
Coordinator
Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change
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