feature
professionals in Canada, an evolving field
of competence within HR.
AN EVOLVING FIELD AND
PROFESSIONALIZATION
Although many consider D&I to be a relatively
new field, it has roots that go back
many decades. Equity and human rights
have always been part of the political and
economic discourse in Canada. Their importance
and impact on the workplace
became more formalized after the release
of the 1984 Abella Commission
report, which led to the creation of the
Employment Equity Act of 1986. Since
that historical milestone, Canadian organizations
have slowly but steadily
progressed.
The new century has certainly seen
an evolution in the field, as many organizations
have started moving beyond
mere Employment Equity compliance to a
recognition that D&I is a strategic organizational
and business priority, and a strong
contributor to organizational effectiveness.
A Conference Board of Canada report
on the D&I profession, released in 2008,
says that the focus of D&I has progressed
from valuing differences – achieved
through awareness training and multicultural
celebrations – to strategic global
business growth. They emphasize that the
21st century D&I practitioner requires a
challenging new set of competencies.
A 2014 report by Bersin-Deloitte confirms
the increasingly strategic role of
diversity practitioners. They write that
Canadian corporations have a renewed interest
in D&I practices due to changing
demographics and a growing need to recruit
and retain a highly skilled workforce.
Bersin-Deloitte also found that 44 per
cent of Canadian organizations have a
D&I function and employ a variety of resourcing
strategies, ranging from informal,
volunteer-based functions to dedicated
staffing models. Interestingly enough, 60
per cent of the organizations with D&I
functions have dedicated staff.
Despite the expansion of D&I functions
and roles within Canadian organizations,
no Canadian standard exists around the
competencies that D&I professionals
must possess. In 2014, CCDI conducted
a benchmark study on D&I education
in Canada. The study clearly showed that,
DESPITE THE EXPANSION
OF D&I FUNCTIONS AND
ROLES WITHIN CANADIAN
ORGANIZATIONS, NO CANADIAN
STANDARD EXISTS AROUND
THE COMPETENCIES THAT D&I
PROFESSIONALS MUST POSSESS.
Continued on page 27 Digital Storm/Shutterstock.com
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ JANUARY 2016 ❚ 25
