Urban African Canadians: A Qualitative Study of Serious Legal Problems in Quebec

Research Process

The Urban African Canadians: A Qualitative Study of Serious Legal Problems in Quebec research project began in Quebec in the spring of 2020 under the challenging circumstance of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial outreach goal of the researchers was to conduct community-based research by building partnerships with various Black community organizations and groups that work within the community, to draw on their experience and expertise, and benefit from their assistance in recruiting respondents.

To this end, researchers approached a range of organizations and groups in Montreal and Quebec City based on their missions and geographic locations. Other organizations were approached because of their work with specific ethnic, national, and immigrant groups.

Outreach to organizations proved challenging within the context of COVID-19. Between June and August 2020, the researchers approached organizations, groups, and individuals actively involved within Quebec’s Black population. Many organizations were physically closed or reduced to limited services and did not respond to our initial emails or phone calls. In some instances, the researchers received responses weeks or even months later, and some groups were unable to respond at all. This was a difficult time, and many community groups were stretched to the limit to assist their members during the pandemic. Of those organizations and groups that did respond, many of them, understandably, could not commit to the project, or prioritize it when they did. During the summer months, several organizations scaled down their services or were closed for vacation. In other words, along with the accumulated fatigue associated with the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, among others, the research team encountered some unavoidable constraints from the outset, all of which posed significant challenges for the research.

It is impossible to ignore or to assess the impact of events in the U.S. during the summer of 2020. Protests sparked by the horror of the video of George Floyd’s murder gripped people around the world, including in Canada. And while one might assume that this would encourage individuals and groups to take an active interest in the research project, in many instances the protests and ong

The researchers strongly felt that they could not push forward without community partnerships. But developing partnerships takes time, and during the outreach process several staff members of community groups expressed that they had participated in previous studies and that they did not see how yet another one would benefit members of the Black community. It was important to be transparent about the reality that the end result of the research would be “another report,” and that, as community members, the research team was willing to work with organizations and groups in various ways to explore how the study might be of use for the organizations. It is also important to state that many of the respondents expressed that they appreciated being given a platform to discuss their legal problems.

That said, after months of outreach, the project recruited 14 respondents, falling short of the anticipated 25. This had an impact on the range of respondents in the ratio of women to men. And despite their efforts, the researchers were unable to recruit respondents who openly identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, the participants are overwhelmingly heterosexual and disproportionately male. Notwithstanding these limitations, the respondents are diverse in language, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship and immigration status, and class background. Collectively, their testimonies represent something of a snapshot of the legal problems recently experienced by members of Quebec’s urban Black population.

To recruit participants, some community groups provided the contact information of potential participants from the outset. Others provided details about the research to potential participants and then responded to their questions. They then put the would-be participants in contact with the research team. In one instance, an organization sent out a survey to its members to identify individuals who had experienced significant legal problems. The researchers were then given individuals’ contact information.

We also approached an organization that works with refugee and non-status members of the LGBTQ+ community. The group agreed to reach out to its members, providing them with the option to make contact. But, understandably, given their vulnerable circumstances, the research team was not contacted by members of the group.

Interviews were scheduled. Ideally, they would have been conducted in person. Given COVID-19 restrictions; most of the interviews, however, were conducted by phone or by using an online video platform. The interviews were conducted in the official language of the participants’ choice. Eight were done in English and six in French.