The Diversity Institute drives national conversation on the business case for equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and immigration

Throughout November and December, the Diversity Institute (DI) has been at the forefront of shaping national conversations on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA). From Ottawa to Vancouver, DI representatives shared their latest research, practical tools and actionable strategies to address systemic challenges and how to ensure diverse communities are included. Their participation in leading conferences tackled urgent topics like how EDIA enhances research quality, how newcomers can thrive in the workplace and myths surrounding immigration’s impact on housing.

At the Canadian Science Policy Centre Conference on Nov. 20, 2024, Wendy Cukier, founder and academic director of DI and academic research director of the Future Skills Centre (FSC), joined a panel discussion on the importance of EDIA in research. Experts from the science and innovation communities discussed how science, innovation, society and public policy play a role in sustainability.

The event occurred in Ottawa, with Tania Saba, BMO Chair in Diversity and Governance at the Université de Montréal. Cukier and Saba highlighted the need to consider systemic bias and practices in the conceptualization of problems—for example, equating innovation with technology development rather than understanding innovation is about "doing differently" and requires consideration of adoption—legal, regulatory, social and economic impacts, and human and organization behaviour.

They discussed the need to bring an EDIA lens to each state of the research process, including the conceptualization of the problem, methods, team composition and skills, and knowledge mobilization and community engagement. They highlighted the impact of EDIA in research, including improved quality with diverse perspectives reducing bias, a broader reach resulting in wider applicability, enhanced trust through community engagement and more innovation due to creative problem-solving. Cukier emphasized that a commitment to EDIA in research ensures research includes and meets the needs of diverse people and communities, and emphasized it’s critical to research excellence and impact.

In Montreal on Nov. 25 to 26, 2024 the Femtech Canada Forum: Canada’s Path to Global Femtech Leadership brought together about 70 thought leaders, industry experts and innovators. At the event, Cukier participated in a panel on building healthy communities through policy, research and innovation. It was moderated by Sarah Howe, COO of the Research Institute of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and included panellist Glenys Wester, associate director of the Institute of Gender and Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 

Cukier discussed how women have often been excluded or underrepresented in health research, pointing to research that found in a study of 100 publications that women were excluded or underrepresented in 63% of them. She highlighted that women face barriers in healthcare and health entrepreneurship, including facing gendered stereotypes in technology industries and assumptions about innovation and entrepreneurship, systemic biases within policies, programs and services and inaccessibility of financing and markets. Cukier said that health care and health research lack EDIA perspectives, affecting the quality of care and health outcomes for equity-deserving groups and women.

Howe asked, “How do we ensure that investment in women’s health becomes mainstream and how crucial is it to incorporate intersectionality in creating the business case for investment?” Cukier argued for bridging funding gaps by providing targeted funding products and services tailored to the needs of women-led ventures. This could include creating networking opportunities and resources such as incubators and accelerators that focus on mentorship and training for women​. She pointed to the Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network (IIE-Net (external link) ) partnership, which brings together researchers and partners to deepen knowledge on the state of entrepreneurship by equity-deserving groups including the barriers they face and strategies to enable their success. She also highlighted the work of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (external link)  in tackling gender stereotypes by increasing the visibility of women entrepreneurship with the ‘See it. Be It (external link) ’ initiative, which spotlights nearly 2000 women entrepreneurs.

From Nov. 25 to 27, more than 1000 people attended, virtually and in-person, the Pathways to Prosperity Conference in Vancouver, B.C. The conference focused on the theme “Supporting Newcomers to Canada: a roadmap to inclusive collaboration and collective impact. At the conference, Alyssa Saiphoo, senior research associate at DI, hosted a session on Black immigrant entrepreneurs in Canada; Juan Marsiaj hosted a panel discussion on addressing newcomers’ skills gaps through digital skills training; and Matthew McDonald presented on the myths and realities of immigration and housing prices. 

McDonald’s session focused on a paper written by Wendy Cukier, founder of DI, and Morley Gunderson, professor at the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto. Recent DI research shows that almost six in ten (58%) Canadians now believe the country accepts too many immigrants, marking a rapid change over two years. The latest findings suggest the balance of public opinion about the volume of immigration currently being admitted into the country has effectively flipped from being acceptable to problematic. 

McDonald discussed the report, which found a need for nuanced policy responses that acknowledge immigration’s contributions while addressing housing affordability concerns. Immigration is often correlated or associated with housing price increases, but correlation does not mean that immigration has a causal effect on housing prices. The report argues that greater international investment, financial deregulation and boosterism, are some of the reasons there is an increase in demand for housing. It also highlights issues with creating supply such as extensive regulations, geographical restraints, and an aging population living in large houses.