McGill has been named one of the nation’s top diversity employers for its exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs. The annual Canada’s Best Diversity Employers list was announced on March 5, by Mediacorp Canada Inc.
The list recognizes employers across Canada that have exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs. This competition recognizes successful diversity initiatives in a variety of areas, including programs for employees from five groups: women; members of visible minorities; persons with disabilities; Indigenous peoples; and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Diana Dutton, Associate Vice-President, Human Resources, says McGill is proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers.
“As an employer, McGill is committed to nurturing its diverse and dynamic workforce,” she says. “Through our various recruitment initiatives, policies, and training and development programs, our goal is to continue to foster an environment that supports and celebrates diversity.”
Wide range of EDI initiatives
In its citation, the publication highlighted McGill’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2020-2025, which outlines the University’s five EDI priorities:
- Student experience
- Research and knowledge
- Outreach
- Workforce
- Physical Space
Other McGill EDI initiatives that were cited include:
- McGill’s Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism, which commits to increasing Black tenure-track or tenured professors and to raise the representation of Black management and executive staff.
- The Provost’s Faculty Mentorship Network to support pre-tenure professors with outstanding teachers and researchers who are experienced institutional leaders at the University
- An Academic Plan that commits to increasing the proportion of women at the rank of full professor and increasing the proportion of all tenured and tenure-track staff self-identifying as members of all other equity groups.
- The establishment of the Indigenous Initiatives unit led by Celeste Pedri-Spade, Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives).
Ongoing commitment
Angela Campbell, Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies), says earning this type of recognition is part of a lengthy, and ongoing, commitment by the University.
“I am delighted that McGill is being recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers! Having led the EDI portfolio at McGill for nearly nine years now, I can attest to the great progress that University has made on this front, and this is only because the work has been recognized as a shared responsibility to be taken up through partnerships across all units of our institution,” says Campbell.
“Of course, the efforts required to build and sustain a working and learning environment fully dedicated to EDI will always be ongoing and must be taken up always with perseverance and humility.”
Read the Canada’s Top Diversity Employers press release and the McGill citation.