Experiencing the Pandemic as a Refugee in Canada: The Intersectionality of Immobility, Gender and Food Insecurity

This research brief presents survey and interview data which was collected in the Kitchener- Waterloo (K-W) area in Ontario in 2022. It aims to depict the experience of refugees in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, with reference to their household food security and how gender and COVID-19 reproduced the structural challenges faced during resettlement in Canada. Drawing on the notion of intersectionality in conceptualizing subjectivity, defining identity, and shaping lived experience (McCall 2005; Nash 2008; Birchall 2021), the research sheds light on the intersectionality of health, gender, and the food insecurity of vulnerable groups which was exposed by the pandemic. This research brief also highlights areas of policy intervention needed to improve food security and long-term livelihood viability for refugees in Canada.