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5 trends in equity, diversity and inclusion for 2023

As the year draws to a close, it’s time to take stock and look to the future. This year has seen many advances in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and building an DEI strategy is increasingly becoming a necessary element in the development of an organization and its teams. DEI policies, ethno-cultural diversity, neurodiversity, sexual and gender diversity are all topics that are sure to have an impact in 2023. We asked five professionals in the field to reveal their 2022 assessment and their vision of diversity, equity and inclusion for the coming year.

Mathe-Manuel DaigneaultMathé-Manuel Daigneault, Consultant and trainer in sexual and gender diversity and DEI

Sexual and gender diversity in DEI: 2022 review and 2023 outlook

The year 2022 was marked in Quebec by the official arrival of gender X on birth certificates, as well as the introduction of a free first request for a change of gender. Desjardins’ announcement that certain trans-affirmative care would be covered under their group insurance plans also attracted attention. However, despite these advances, the day-to-day climate for many sexually and gender-diverse people, and trans and non-binary people in particular, has not really improved: more transphobic columns than any other are still published at regular intervals by the mainstream media, contributing to the poisoning of popular opinion.

The year 2023 is shaping up to be a particularly busy one, if only because the rise in hate crimes against people of sexual and gender diversity in the U.S. at the end of the year will have echoes north of the border. While the X mention is now possible, many administrative hurdles will still stand in the way of the first people to obtain it, if only because the RAMQ and SAAQ still don’t offer it. Access to transaffirmative care, even when financed, remains limited by the scarcity of services on offer. The increasing frequency of transphobic cyberattacks and microaggressions on a daily basis will also weigh heavily on the shoulders of those who pay the price.

More than ever, it will be imperative for allies in our communities to take proactive action to affirm their support for people of sexual and gender diversity. It’s no longer enough to simply react when we’re put in the spotlight: heterocisnormative systems must be called into question, and concrete actions put in place to promote inclusion for all!

 

Fran DelhoumeFran Delhoume, M.Sc.,
DEI Consultant at URelles

Neuroinclusion 2023

In the past year, I’ve observed a superb phenomenon: whereas at the beginning of 2022, people would look at me with wide, puzzled eyes when I talked about neurodiversity, I’ve now been giving a few diversity-equity-inclusion (DEI) training courses (without specifically addressing neurodiversity) where a participant will call me out. And without knowing my passion for the subject, he’ll say to me with a proud, almost defiant air: “Yeah, but you don’t talk about neurodiversity, you know that’s a subject that it’s about time we addressed! I can’t tell you how proud I feel, and how much effort it takes not to launch into a tirade of approval about the importance of neurodiversity…

In short, I see 2023 as the year when words like neuroinclusion, neuronormativity and neurodivergence will enter DEI’s daily professional life and become more-si-academic language. I foresee a year when neuronormative privilege – the glorification of a single mode of cognitive functioning as “normal” – will lose its luster to let a neurodiverse and intersectional richness shine through. Reductive medical labels give way to unique, rich identities. The knowledge that is evolving and the ambassadors who are reclaiming language as a tool for inclusion and influence make me frankly optimistic.

It starts here: changing the way we talk about it is the first step to reflecting the multiplicity of narratives that make up our humanity. So, to hear the discourse changing, to be challenged on my knowledge and interests, to see people demanding recognition of their reality: it all adds up to one hell of a year ahead for neuroinclusion.

 

Candice MaxisCandice Maxis, CRHA, National leader – DEI & Service Manager – Workforce Transformation at Deloitte Canada

In 2023, it’s time to take stock. We’ve lived through a period of unprecedented turbulence over the past two years: pandemic and health crisis, major economic impacts, accentuated labor shortages, the rise of social justice movements – a perfect storm to invite organizations to rethink, reinvent and even make DEI commitments.

Three years on, it’s time to see how these commitments have progressed. In 2021, it was easy to conclude that it was too early to measure tangible progress. In 2022, it was possible, but the picture was still very fragmentary. Three years is, in my opinion, a more than reasonable timeframe for measuring the success of companies’ DEI strategies.

To this end, a recent survey in 2022 by The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals reported that forty percent (40%) of Canadian companies said they had a diversity, equity and inclusion policy, compared with 35% in the second half of 2020. In the USA, 54% of companies reported having a DEI policy in place.

It will be interesting to see how organizations progress in this area. How will this progress (or lack of it) be measured? What success indicators were established at the outset? What factors explain these results? Have organizations given themselves the means to succeed? To be continued…

Source: Fewer Than Half of Canadian Companies Have Diversity, (globenewswire.com)

 

Amelie TintinAmélie Tintin, Advisor, Strategic and Operational Planning, Diversity and Inclusion at Radio-Canada

In my opinion, 2022 was a pivotal year for DEI, a time when many organizations in the media production world became aware of the issues that persist in society and the lack of representation of Indigenous, Black and Coloured people (PANDC) behind and in front of the camera. Plans were then put in place to monitor the progress of the changes required.

Beyond the lack of representation, the question was also whether the one brought in is authentic, because yes it matters and the portrait we currently see of PANDC really leaves something to be desired. It’s a fact, and it doesn’t allow the public, from racialized groups, to feel integrated into the media, as they currently exist.

It’s an issue that’s on the minds of funders and broadcasters alike. Special funds created for production companies with a majority of racialized shareholders have, in fact, enabled the emergence of a pool of talent just waiting for this opening to enter the industry in style. Given the multicultural nature of Canadian society, it’s only natural to expect greater diversity in the representations offered by the media.

The year 2023 will be, and should be, an important year for realizing that we all have a role to play. All actors of change. Without apology, without compromise, let’s create the stories that suit us, especially when the narratives imposed on us do not allow for fair representation.

In my opinion, this year will bring with it the need for diverse groups to join forces and find a way of expressing themselves together. It will also be important to understand that talking to the unconvinced about the importance of equity and diversity will help create and maintain dialogue. Because the importance of making room for more diversity in key positions in the media industry is paramount, and it’s a point on which everyone agrees. Then it’s time to get rid of the internalized formatting that prevents change from taking place.

 

serge villemureSerge Villemure, DEI and Science Policy Advisor

Diversity, Equity and inclusion (DEI) continues to progress. Although DEI knowledge has been available for some time, its implementation has been slow. This is to be expected, since putting DEI into practice is inherently difficult.

However, a growing number of plants are adopting DEI action plans, and in the process hiring people with DEI expertise (and motivation). However, high workloads and limited resources represent major obstacles. What’s more, the commitment of plant management often remains low, since implementing an DEI strategy is sometimes a cause of “organizational nervousness”. Indeed, the scope of the proposed actions and the cultural changes required provoke a great deal of questioning. These challenges must be overcome.

On the socio-political front, there is a worldwide over-emphasis on the concepts of identity and origin. As a result, the nationalism of many states, and the rise of “xenophobic populism” as described by Thomas Piketty 1 , are proving to be major challenges for DEI implementation. And yet, it is well known that DEI enhances the success of organizations, promotes economic growth and increases collective well-being. So it’s up to us to persevere and keep moving in this direction!

1 Piketty, Thomas. (2019). Capital et idéologie. Paris, France : Édition du Seuil.

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