COVID-19's differential impact on the mental and emotional health of Indigenous Peoples and Newcomers: A socioeconomic analysis of Canada, US and Mexico

Evidence shows that there are economic, and cultural differences in COVID-19 frequency, hospitalization, and mortality (Rodriguez-Lonebear et al., 2020; NYC Health 2020). What is less known is how the restrictions that governments have requested to "flatten the curve" may have affected the mental, social and economic health of the population. Recent reports suggest that within populations, there is inequality in how these restrictions have been experienced. For example, job losses are gendered (UN, 2020; Statistics Canada 2020a) and racialized (NPR 2020). Concentrated outbreaks-in meat packing plants, and in long-term care homes have been reported widely in all three countries (Bragg, 2020, Reuters 2020). Racialized peoples are also overrepresented in industries where COVID-19 infections are more likely such as food service and manufacturing, hospital and long-term care staff (IOM 2020; Block and Dhunna, 2020). Because the virus preys on people in vulnerable situations such as overcrowded housing and work stations, these conditions are frequent among racialized persons, Indigenous persons and newcomers, our project answers two central questions: 1) How have COVID-19 related government imposed regulations differentially influenced the mental health and well-being of Indigenous peoples, racialized persons and immigrants? And 2) to what extent have socioeconomic inequalities faced by Indigenous peoples, racialized persons and immigrants influenced their experience of COVID-19 and its related social and economic restrictions? Given our connected borders and interconnected cultures and people, we argue that success rests upon our ability as a continent to work together to protect one another and eventually eradicate this virus which necessitates the three country comparison of Canada, US and Mexico. This proposal seeks funding to build on an ongoing weekly Socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 survey involving over 17,500 Canadians and Americans.