A Systems Approach to Driving Diversity in Canada’s Leadership

Breaking down barriers Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized individuals face at the societal, organizational, and individual levels is necessary to create inclusive and equitable opportunities for diverse leaders across Canada.

Hugh Anthony Simmonds (external link) , PhD, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of The New Humanity Initiative (external link)  helped organize the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in the Community Conference which featured an eye-opening panel discussion that featured Lori Anne Thomas (external link) , President of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL); Nadine Spencer (external link) , President of the Black Business Professional Association (BBPA); and Kris Noakes (external link) , a community advocate for Indigenous communities at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels along. Wendy Cukier, Founder and Academic Director of the Diversity Institute, shared new findings from Diversity Leads 2020 and also participated in the panel discussion.

Thomas noted that Black lawyers specifically struggle in advancing through their careers because they cannot access professional networks that may provide valuable opportunities as easily as their white peers can. These lawyers may benefit from mentorship opportunities, Thomas suggested, that can uncover the unspoken rules and norms of the sector, and unlock pathways that would have otherwise remained hidden.

Spencer highlighted how her work at the BBPA is helping to prepare Black professionals to succeed in business despite the persistent bias and discrimination they face across sectors. For instance, the BBPA Boss Women Entrepreneurship Training (external link)  program, presented in partnership with the Diversity Institute and the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (external link) , is designed to prepare Black women to become the leaders of thriving businesses with personalized training and support.

“What we find is that, Black businesses, we need opportunities. We need access to be at the table,” Spencer explained.

Panelists stressed that intentional efforts that are measurable and culturally-specific are necessary to drive diversity in senior leadership positions and create more inclusive leadership suites, organizations, and workplaces. Canadian firms only stand to gain from more diverse leadership that can guide organizations to increasingly diverse markets and bring new perspectives to the table. “The expertise and the knowledge that come from our community members is so important. Making sure you resource those people will only make your businesses more robust and more inclusive,” Noakes said.

Cukier shared the highlights of the largest Canadian study of board diversity, Diversity Leads 2020 analyzes the representation of women, Black people, and other racialized persons among the 9,843 individuals on the boards of directors in eight cities. Dr. Cukier emphasized how the report findings point to systemic racism, discrimination, and bias at the root of the under-representation of racialized people on Canadian boards.

“A number of corporate boards have more than 20% of board members who are racialized, which is almost comparable to the population. You see that a portion of boards have more than 40% women, which is nearly comparable to the population. And then you see some corporations with none—we call those the corporate zeroes. That data is one of the best indicators that it is not the pool, it is the intentionality, it is the policies, and it is the processes,” that keep racialized people from senior leadership positions in Canada, Dr. Cukier explained.

Dr. Cukier emphasized: “We need to grapple with these issues at the societal level, the organizational level, and the individual level. We need organizations to name the problem, then develop ambitious targets and intentional strategies to reach with them.

Learn More

To read more about Diversity Leads 2020, take a look at our news release or download the report.

If you were unable to attend the virtual conference, watch a recording of the panel here: http://ow.ly/GlhH50B2MZV (external link)