Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

INRS subscribes to employment equity programs for women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and visible and ethnic minorities.
INRS aims to have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the population. In a research and educational environment like ours, where the diversity of knowledge and skills is a source of pride, the diversity of human resources is a great asset to be valued. That is why we support an Employment Equity Program (EEP) and prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
INRS encourages all qualified individuals to apply, especially women, members of visible and ethnic minorities, Indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities. In accordance with the Canadian Employment Equity Act, priority will be given to Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Selection tools can be adapted to the needs of people with disabilities at all stages of the recruitment process. Those applying for a position and requiring accommodation measures can contact edi@inrs.ca in confidence.
INRS also requests its selection committees to consider career interruptions and special circumstances when evaluating applications. Therefore, candidates are invited to indicate the nature of these interruptions or special circumstances in their cover letter.
Non-discrimination statement available at: https://inrs.ca/offres-d-emploi/egalite-et-diversite/

To support efforts towards non-discrimination and equity, INRS has implemented a policy against harassment, discrimination, and incivility with the following objectives:
- Promote and maintain a healthy working and learning environment characterized by mutual respect and free from any form of harassment, discrimination, and incivility.
- Prevent and, if necessary, stop harassment, discrimination, and incivility within the INRS community.
- Raise awareness within the INRS community of their responsibility to contribute through their behaviour, attitude, and words to the respect for the integrity of individuals in their workplace and learning environment.
- Inform the INRS community of the mechanisms available to report and, if necessary, stop any form of harassment, discrimination, and incivility.
https://inrs.ca/wp-content/uploads/POL-Harcelement-VFP.pdf

Additionally, INRS provides gender-neutral toilets.

INRS recognizes the importance of a healthy, respectful environment, free from harassment, discrimination and incivility for its entire community, and is deploying a number of initiatives to achieve this. We take action on a number of levels: through organizational policies, annual awareness-raising and prevention activities, training and support for people in authority, peer support, and so on.

INRS has implemented a policy against harassment, discrimination and incivility which aims to achieve the following objectives:
- to promote and maintain a healthy work and study environment, marked by mutual respect and free from all forms of harassment, discrimination and incivility;
- to prevent and, where necessary, stop harassment, discrimination and incivility within the INRS Community;
- to make the INRS Community aware of its responsibility to contribute through its behaviour, attitude and words to the respect of the integrity of persons within their work and study environment;
- inform the INRS Community of the mechanisms at its disposal to denounce and put a stop to any form of harassment, discrimination and incivility.
To access the policy: https://inrs.ca/wp-content/uploads/POL-Harcelement-VFP.pdf

Our policy provides, as a first intervention, an informal resolution mechanism when a member believes he or she is a victim of harassment, discrimination or incivility, which consists of:
- Approach the perpetrator of the alleged conduct to express disapproval and ask for an amendment;
- Soliciting the intervention of a trustworthy person, in a position of authority or responsible for the direction of his or her studies, with the perpetrator of the reproached conduct.

If this intervention is unsuccessful, the person may contact our "Bureau de prévention et de traitement des plaintes" for further advice on how to resolve the problem.

Our web page "If You Are a Witness" (https://inrs.ca/en/psychological-harassment-and-sexual-violence/witness/) explains what to do if someone witnesses harassment, discrimination, incivility or sexual violence. Everyone at INRS is encouraged to take action if they witness a problematic situation. Anyone witnessing conduct that they consider harassing, discriminatory or uncivil may also contact our Office for advice. In all cases, a formal complaint can be filed by either the victim or a witness, and we offer the possibility of filing an anonymous complaint. When a complaint is lodged, the victim receives support, from our Human Resources Department for staff members and from our Graduate Studies and Student Success Department for student members. This support may include temporary accommodation measures to protect the victim's health and safety. Confidentiality is respected at all stages of the process.

At all stages of the informal resolution or complaint process, anyone can contact our INRS Cellule d'Intervention mieux-être (CIME), offering the services of a psychologist and a social worker, hired by INRS (https://inrs.ca/en/inrs/community-services/psychological-psychosocial-learning-support/). Also, as INRS believes strongly in the power of peer support, it has set up a network of mental health allies, whose role is to listen, provide emotional and social support or refer to appropriate resources. These allies are present in each of the INRS centres, and can also act as a resource for employees in need.

In addition, on our web page https://inrs.ca/en/psychological-harassment-and-sexual-violence/ we offer advice to people who believe they are victims of harassment, discrimination or incivility, to witnesses and to people in authority. So, everyone at INRS is encouraged to act if they witness a problematic situation, as the support of colleagues is strongly encouraged. We have also put in place a code of civility that has been sent out to the entire INRS community, and we have invited everyone to post this code in their office, sector or workplace. It is also posted on our intranet and website.

Lastly, a "harassment, discrimination and incivility awareness and prevention week" has been held every year since 2017, in collaboration with our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion department. This aims to offer the entire community awareness and prevention activities and training on all aspects of harassment, discrimination and incivility.

As mentioned in credit PA-06, INRS's efforts to recruit academic and non-academic staff from underrepresented groups include the following:
- For professors: There is an action plan on Canada Research Chairs with target allocation of chairs impacting faculty recruitment (including a survey and interviews with professors).
- For research chairs: competitions strongly prioritize certain underrepresented groups based on the achievement of targets.
- For employees: The employment equity access program is elaborated to address underrepresentation of designated group members among the employee workforce, including self-identification forms and a report due in the fall of 2023.

In 2023, an Inclusive Recruitment Guide was created and distributed within the centres management teams. The guide provides guidance to centre directors on non-discriminatory hiring practices for academic staff.

In 2022, a survey was conducted on the inclusivity climate at INRS in preparation for the renewal of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) action plan. This survey included questions about the inclusivity climate for various groups within the INRS community, with intergroup comparisons and in-depth interviews scheduled for the fall. Overall, the inclusion climate is good at INRS. The survey led to the development of measures to promote a more inclusive climate, which will be integrated into the next EDI action plan. The survey will be repeated in 2024.

A First Peoples Collaboration Committee (FPCC) was put in place in 2021 to help develop and support harmonious and constructive relations between society and First Peoples. It reflects the determination of INRS to place its research and teaching mission in the context of reconciliation, and in line with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Members are appointed for a two-year term, and the committee has equal representation of aboriginal and non-aboriginal members. It consists of four external members and four INRS members and presided by INRS general manager. The committee is consultative on institutional decisions concerning issues affecting First Peoples and guides INRS in the right approaches to adopt. For example, the FPCC helped INRS to adopt the right posture when INRS announced a new institutional holiday for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The FPCC also wants to raise awareness of indigenous realities within INRS and therefore developed a training program.

Finally, for recruitment, INRS is committed, for example, to hiring individuals from underrepresented groups when qualifications are equal.

Students:
- Counselling at the INRS Wellness Intervention Unit (CIME) includes underrepresented groups on campus (among students).
- There is also a Financial Support Directive for Student Parents at INRS, which is unique in the province of Quebec (https://inrs.ca/wp-content/uploads/DIR-Soutien-Financier-Resp-Parentale-Etudiante-VFP.pdf).
- Our two EDI advisors organize occasional discussion workshops for students, on topics such as ordinary sexism and the challenges faced by members of minority groups in academia.
- Welcome activities for new students are organized at the beginning of each session in each centre to facilitate their integration. All students are also being paired with a mentor with the same profile for better integration.
Professors:
- Mentoring between professors: every centre organizes for new professors to be mentored by a experimented professor.
All:
- The "Les voix multiples" podcast brings to light the reality of LGBTQ2+ communities in a university setting, whether they are students, employees, or faculty members, and showcases testimonials from the INRS community.

We don't have specific programs aimed specifically at supporting and preparing students from under-represented groups for a career as a faculty member. However, INRS shares every year on its website and social media portraits of inspiring women scientists from its community in an effort to inspire students.
Moreover, "Women in Science Cocktail Hour" activities are held every year, organized by the our ETE Centre professors and student association. Professor Maritza Jaramillo, a specialist in infectious diseases and RNA biology at INRS, is a founding member of the Quebec division of the Canadian Society of Women in Science and Technology (CSWIST).

Our inventory of gender-neutral bathrooms is publicly accessible at https://inrs.ca/linrs/equite-diversite-et-inclusion/, along with where to find free menstrual products on campus.