There is a lot of good that can be said about diversity.
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Our multicultural ecosystem is one of Canada’s superpowers. But diversity, equity and inclusivity initiatives in the workplace, often referred to as DEI, are weakening in our nation.
Take for example the recent National Post article that reported only 28% of Canadians support equity hiring. A whopping 57% of Canadians did not agree with the notion that equity (including one’s cultural or ethnic background) should be part of hiring at all.
Perhaps the most surprising statistic from the poll done by Leger is that 50% of immigrants also agreed cultural or ethnic background should not be considered in hiring initiatives.
The Canadian federal government has maintained equity targets in its hiring since the 1980s. Visible minorities were hired at greater percentages by the federal government between 2016 and 2024 as a result.
The private sector is taking a different approach.
In late November, following the U.S. election, Walmart rolled back its DEI initiatives. This included Walmart not renewing a five-year $100 million commitment for a racial equity centre that it set up in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd.
And Walmart isn’t alone. Other large corporations like Lowe’s and Harley Davidson similarly pulled DEI initiatives from their workplaces in the last year.
Most would assume that I, a woman of indo-Canadian origin and a person of colour, would celebrate the virtues of DEI initiatives. While the intent is good, the execution of DEI initiatives in a lot of workplaces has been bungled. DEI initiatives, as they exist now, have done a disservice to equity-seeking communities.
Current DEI initiatives are too basic and unidimensional. They focus on virtue signalling, optics and filling quotas rather than why diversity is a success metric. A diverse, ambitious, high performing team with divergent views can push limits and elevate products and outcomes. Different viewpoints from people of various backgrounds can be a major strength.
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But when DEI initiatives focus on optics alone, this leads to the notion that people of colour and women are being hired to check a box rather than because of their work experience, education and credentials. When a DEI initiative exists in a workplace, the merit lens becomes blurry. Even if a person of colour is the most deserving of a raise, job or promotion, peers may still ponder whether the person was selected as part of some diversity mandate rather than merit alone.
While DEI mandates have failed the very communities they are trying to reach, with some evolution they should exist. As companies go global, diverse work forces give workplaces an edge against competitors. As Canada is home to a growing immigrant population, tapping into the unique skills and experience of this growing workforce makes good sense. The future workforce of this country will be much more diverse than even a decade ago. Canadian employers have no choice but to embrace it.
There is a lot of good that comes out of diversity rather than the optics of it all. It doesn’t just look good to have a diverse workforce. A 2021 Forbes article reported that of companies analyzed, diverse teams lead to 60% better results and make better decisions in 87% of cases.
It’s time to reframe the conversation on DEI in Canada. If we don’t these initiatives may disappear completely and only because we forgot to focus on the great value diversity can actually bring.
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The content of this article is general information only and is not legal advice.