Montreal, June 13, 2024 – The Institute for Research on Public Policy is delighted to announce that Anika Ganness has been awarded its first Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Support of Indigenous, Black and Other Racialized Scholars.  

Ganness, who is a PhD candidate in the department of political science at the University of Toronto and a Trudeau Centre Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, will investigate how child protective services in Canada engage disproportionately with racialized people, focusing on British Columbia and Ontario. 

“We look forward to supporting Anika’s work and learning from her research findings, and hope that this fellowship will play a constructive, meaningful role in her already impressive career,” said Jennifer Ditchburn, president and CEO of the IRPP.    

As a contributor to the IRPP research program on social policy, Toward a More Equitable Canada, Ganness will be co-supervised by IRPP research director Shaimaa Yassin and McGill University political science professor Debra Thompson. Her research will incorporate the lived experiences of marginalized populations through interviews with racial-minority parents involved in child welfare systems. 

“Anika’s project offers a valuable opportunity to enrich the IRPP’s research by exploring the policy choices and governance structures that contribute to racial inequity in child protective services in Canada,” said Rachel Samson, vice president of research at the IRPP. 

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP: The IRPP Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Support of Indigenous, Black and Other Racialized Scholars was funded through contributions to the IRPP’s 50th anniversary gala held in 2022, and its 2023 fall lecture.  Anika Ganness will hold the fellowship from January 2025 to December 31, 2026. She will receive a stipend of $70,000 a year for the two-year duration of the fellowship, as well as a research allowance of up to $5,000 per year to cover related expenses. The fellowship was awarded following a national call for applications, and a rigorous review process that included an external advisory committee.  

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON PUBLIC POLICY: The IRPP seeks to improve public policy in Canada by generating research, providing insight and influencing debate on current and emerging policy issues facing Canadians and their governments.