Equity, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to Canada’s economy, both now and in the future. When their senior executives are reflective of Canada’s diversity, businesses and organizations of all sizes benefit. The Government of Canada believes that corporate Canada should look like Canada and that bringing broader perspectives and talents to decision-making bodies is essential to building back a stronger and more resilient country.
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced an investment of $28.5 million to support the implementation of a toolkit to help organizations participating in the 50 – 30 Challenge meet their diversity and inclusion objectives.
Since the 50 – 30 Challenge launched in December 2020, close to 1,400 organizations have signed on. Over the past year, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has been working with partners to develop tools and resources to support these organizations in adopting practices to improve equity and diversity.
To that end, Minister Champagne announced today that, along with 50 – 30 Challenge Ecosystem partners, KPMG in Canada will be developing the What Works Toolkit, an online suite of tools, policies and resources for organizations across Canada to use. The toolkit will include resources to support the recruitment and mentorship of board members and senior managers from under-represented groups, as well as tools to support the development of anti-racism, anti-harassment and inclusive workplace strategies.
The Minister also announced the five 50 – 30 Challenge Ecosystem partners that will be supporting the adoption of the What Works Toolkit and further supporting participating organizations. The Ecosystem partners—Colleges and Institutes Canada, Global Compact Network Canada, the Ted Rogers School of Management’s Diversity Institute, the Women’s Economic Council, and Egale—will be responsible for helping participants meet their diversity and inclusion goals by linking them to best practices and tools, providing guidance, and advising them on other diversity supports specific to each organization’s unique needs.
Additionally, ISED has been working with the Standards Council of Canada and the Ted Rogers School of Management’s Diversity Institute to create a framework for measuring 50 – 30 Challenge achievements. As a part of this process, the Council has published a publicly available specification guidance document to aid organizations in the first steps of implementing equity, diversity and inclusion practices.
Quotes
“For the Canadian economy to achieve its full potential, everyone must have the chance to make their full contribution. It’s been clearly established that organizations with more diverse decision-making bodies are also more successful. I’m excited to see the Challenge participants take concrete actions to bring more diverse voices to the table and reap the rewards for turning their ambitions into reality.”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“In Canada, diversity is a fact but inclusion is a choice. When all Canadians see themselves represented at the highest levels of our institutions, we all benefit. It’s inspiring to see close to 1,400 Canadian organizations stepping up for the 50 – 30 Challenge in its first year, and we are looking forward to supporting them in their diversity and inclusion efforts in the year to come. And that’s because we know representation matters.”
– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
Quick facts
- Launched in December 2020, the 50 – 30 Challenge is a voluntary pledge by Canadian organizations to increase the representation and inclusion of diverse groups within their workplace. Organizations participating in the Challenge aspire to two goals: gender parity (50% women and/or non-binary people) and significant representation (30%) of other under-represented groups—such as racialized, Black, and/or people of colour; people with disabilities (including invisible and episodic disabilities); and LGBTQ2+ and/or gender and sexually diverse individuals—on Canadian boards or in senior management.
- Close to 1,400 organizations across Canada have now joined the 50 – 30 Challenge.
- The 50 – 30 Challenge builds on the efforts undertaken since 2015 to advance equality, including the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy; diversity disclosure requirements for publicly traded companies; a charter on equity, diversity and inclusion for post-secondary institutions; and the Black Entrepreneurship Program.
- The 50 – 30 Challenge builds on the 2018 amendments to the Canada Business Corporations Act that require distributing corporations to report on their board and senior management diversity.
