Inclusive Monitoring to Leave No One Behind in Canada
Despite Canada's high average household income, numerous groups living in Canada are marginalized and at risk of being left behind in the push to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 14% of people in Canada were designated as poor due to their low income. Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, lone parents, recent immigrants, and several other groups disproportionately experience deprivation because of racism, geographic isolation, poor governance, and inherited socioeconomic burdens. The COVID-19 crisis has aggravated many of these factors and pushed several groups further behind.
Leaving no one behind in Canada behind requires a clear understanding of who is being left behind, the reasons why they are being left behind, and what their needs are to catch up. Good data on marginalized groups and the factors of marginalization are essential to understand the needs of marginalized people and how these needs have changed through the pandemic.
Previous IISD research on monitoring the well-being of marginalized people living in Canada revealed several data-related challenges, including:
- Insufficient data on groups inherently difficult to count, such as unhoused people and First Nations communities living on reserve
- Different perceptions, values, and priorities among marginalized groups that lead to diverging perceptions of their situations and measures needed
- Barriers to using data from non-official sources
- A lack of tools to integrate data from various sources and combining data with qualitative information for a more holistic understanding of marginalization.
This follow-up project aims to support more inclusive monitoring of the well-being of marginalized people in Canada by exploring the potential for a multi-tiered measurement approach where local communities and marginalized groups participate in gathering, governing, and using data to measure the state of their well-being in the SDG context. To do so, IISD will:
- Identify non-official data sources, including data collected by local communities and organizations working with marginalized groups
- Assess data quality and potential to complement official measurements
- Understand the ownership of these data and the principles and rules governing their use
- Identify good practices of engaging marginalized groups in collecting, governing, and using data describing them and using data-based advocacy strategies
The project will present its results in a series of articles, offering research findings but primarily centring the voices of members of marginalized groups as they share their insights into:
- Leaving no one behind in Canada and existing data on marginalized groups
- Concepts, frameworks, and methodologies
- Data sources
- Good practices for engagement and opportunities for inclusive monitoring.
All articles will be available on this project page. Selected articles will be republished as op-eds or on other outlets, including the SDG knowledge Hub, Alliance 2030, or the International Leave No One Behind Partnership. A handbook will synthesize the main findings of the projects and derive recommendations for action.
Leaving No Canadian Behind
By committing to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Canada also pledged to to "leave no one behind" in its development efforts. This will only be possible if we improve how we monitor the well-being of the country's most marginalized groups.
Who is Being Left Behind in Canada?
Achieving the principle of leaving no one behind implies that implementation should start with those furthest behind and adequate monitoring must be in place to ensure the well-being of marginalized groups improves—and no new groups are harmed.
Leveraging the Linkages: How Human Rights Data Can Advance SDG Monitoring
To create opportunities for synergies between the "leave no one behind" principle and the "realize human rights for all" principle in implementation and improved monitoring, there is a need to properly leverage data and legal mechanisms.
Not Just Who, But Where: The Need for Geospatial Data to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
To improve data collection on those left behind, organizations are working to improve the availability of geospatial data and fill data gaps to determine not only who is being left behind, but where they are.
Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts: The Need for Racialized Data to Understand and Address Systemic Racism
Racialized data on risk exposure and health impacts can help understand inequities in COVID-19 impact and support preventive policy decisions, but collection to date is haphazard. The federal government should take a cue from provincial and non-governmental initiatives and be more deliberate about collecting and safely using race-disaggregated data.
Citizen-generated Data: Data by people, for people
Investments in a rich data ecosystem that supports citizen-generated data alongside official data sources empowers marginalized groups, provides a holistic understanding of marginalization, and supports inclusive decision-making to ensure that no one is left behind in SDG implementation.
What Is Alternative Data and How Can It Help Efforts to Leave No One Behind?
Official statistics and measures of poverty do not fully capture the causes of marginalization and how they intersect and interact. The 2030 Agenda is catalyzing a shift in how the world thinks about data and the use of "non-official data sources" to better reflect the needs of the most marginalized.
Latest
You might also be interested in
Community Indicator Systems
Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals empowers communities to act at the local level, observe the impact of their actions, share experiences with other communities and build new partnerships for implementation.
Leaving No Canadian Behind
For Canada to fulfill its commitment to the SDGs, it must increase inclusive monitoring of marginalized people while giving them data ownership.
Who Is Being Left Behind in Canada?
A prerequisite for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) action is clearly identifying those at risk of being left behind so their progress in achieving the SDGs can be monitored.
Not Just Who, But Where: The need for geospatial data to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
To advance the 2030 Agenda, the availability of geospatial data allows us to know where marginalized people are located and make the evidence-based decisions required to make sure they are no longer left behind.