Category: Perspectives

 

In Canada’s 44th election, a remarkable thing happened: all four major parties agreed that Canada must substantially cut its emissions over the next decade. Make no mistake, given that Canada is the world’s fifth-largest energy producer, this development was, in fact, remarkable.

As Erin O’Toole battles to remain leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, he must now convince members that his relatively progressive stance on climate was the right one, a tough sell given his party’s underwhelming electoral performance and the rise of the People’s Party of Canada. Simultaneously, Canadians and Canadian businesses continue to bear the brunt of extreme weather events, a burden that will only become heavier as climate change accelerates.

Of course, it is not a matter of if climate change accelerates. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that the climate will continue to warm for at least the next 30 years, and that changes to the oceans, ice coverage and global sea levels are for the most part irreversible for hundreds and potentially thousands of years.

This bleak situation is not lost on us. According to a Navigator survey, two-thirds of Canadians consider climate change to be the most serious issue facing the country. In turn, corporations are feeling the heat from consumers, often driven by their younger employees, customers and institutional investors.

Rich Lesser, global chair of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), observed that many CEOs were initially shielded from this trend due to “bubble” thinking where younger employees explicitly or implicitly received the message that their perspectives were unwelcome. However, BCG, like many others, saw its bubble burst over the past two years when COVID-19 forced a rethink of working models and climate risk.

BCG is not alone as businesses around the world are more directly contemplating the economic implications of wildfires, droughts, extreme weather, crop yield declines, water shortages and climate-induced forced migration. John Sterman, professor of management at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, states that the most effective way for companies to protect their supply chains against these risks is to “find ways to cut your emissions that also improve your resilience and generate other benefits for you.” For instance, during the deep freeze in Texas last year, Credit Human’s new headquarters was fully operational while many others were not. That’s because the building was highly energy efficient and built with a massive solar array on the roof along with ground source heat pumps.

In Canada, a change in thinking from big business has been met by a similar shift from regulators and central bankers. In 2020, the Bank of Canada and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) announced plans for a pilot project that would improve Canadians’ ability to assess financial risk related to climate change. Based on the high level of credit exposure identified in the report and the need for improved national data, OSFI is now warning that financial institutions that cannot be trusted to adequately adjust for climate risk may be forced to keep more capital in their rainy- day funds.

Growing awareness and improved analysis of climate risk come with direct implications for Canada’s largest export and largest emitter, the oil and gas sector. As customer demand for these resources remains robust, the sector must markedly reduce the intensity of its emissions.

It’s a challenge that an alliance of Canada’s five largest oil sands producers has committed to taking on directly, working in collaboration with provincial and federal governments to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands by 2050.

This pledge, met by escalating federal climate policy that will cap oil and gas emissions at their current level, demonstrates a rare consensus point between Canadian government and industry. For this pledge to hold weight among the Canadian public, producers must now undergo the difficult work of making it a reality. While the road ahead will no doubt be challenging, this same spirit of collaboration, combined with a sustained focus on the evolving needs of consumers and businesses, could finally position the country to face the seemingly daunting task ahead.

In many ways, this is the easy part. Canada’s decarbonization journey requires a combination of willpower, innovation and adaptability from all stakeholders that must transcend electoral cycles or quarter-bound pressures.

However, by finally agreeing upon a common goal, businesses and governments are positioned to move quickly and co-operatively. It could not have come a moment too soon.

The past two years have been rife with necessary and uncomfortable conversations about race, class, values, gender and so much more. In business, some people have shied away from engaging, while others have jumped into these discussions, to their great advantage.

In many ways, the success of a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion can be measured by the level of discomfort in board rooms and across the C-suite.

Uncertainty on faces around the senior leadership table. Deep breaths taken in reaction to the challenge of upending “business as usual.” The twitch on a colleague’s face that only appears when one’s deeply held sense of what is orderly has been threatened.

These are the hallmarks of an organization on a productive path to meaningfully improving equity, diversity and inclusion across its workplace. As is the case with business growth, satisfaction is an impediment to progress in the context of diversity and inclusion. Discomfort is how you know you are on the right path.

Business success is traditionally seen through the lens of successfully meeting targets, driving market share and revenue growth. EDI can be measured in the same way, but, unlike revenue growth, EDI efforts take time and may not be immediately reflected in quarterly results. That means two things: traditional indicators of success are not enough, and EDI must be understood as a long-term strategic bet — a unique facet of corporate strategy, one that can provide enormous, if not immediate, advantage.

How does a company consistently embrace discomfort and sustain efforts aimed at EDI when there may not be any quick, bottom-line payback?

The answer lies in a marriage of effective strategy and governance.

1. It starts at the top. Board chairs and CEOs must create an environment of psychological safety where difficult and “wicked” questions can be asked and answered. How has the company benefited from colonialism? How does the current revenue model rely on equity gaps? Where does the company’s narrative about itself diverge from the realities of how people are hired and promoted within the organization?

 

Members of these tables who are not white, straight and male must be able to share their experiences that challenge a company’s record — and do so without being met with counterarguments, explanations or apologies. Sometimes, an outside facilitator is needed to keep the discussion moving and honest.

 

2. Don’t guess. Data and research play a crucial role. A company’s workforce, supplier and customer census data need to be a part of the conversation to ensure the realities of the current situation are properly understood.

 

It can also be productive to bring in speakers to share experiences and perspectives that are otherwise unrepresented. For example, few companies have many people with disabilities in the ranks of their senior leadership teams or among their directors, yet 22 per cent of Canada’s population aged 15 and over identify as having a disability. The actual number is believed to be even higher. Is your company serving this population well and are you learning from their customer and employment experiences? Do you even know?

 

Beyond simply being an input for strategic planning, this data is a means to address immediate gaps in the diversity of C-suite perspectives compared to those of customers, employees and other stakeholders. Though not as effective as hearing from a diverse and fully inclusive team, having research data that reflects these otherwise missing experiences, and measuring the equity gaps from all levels of an organization, can inform meaningful targets and adequate plans to meet them.

 

3. Write it down. Success of any kind is never achieved without sound strategy reflected in a written plan. The same holds true when it comes to improving diversity and inclusion. Stand-alone pledges and commitments made in the moment typically lack good grounding in corporate strategy, as well as the necessary resources. It is the deep roots of diversity and inclusion reflected in the company’s strategic plan that bear fruit.

 

Whether in the middle of a multi-year plan or at the outset of a strategic planning cycle, diversity and inclusion must be embedded in the company’s core success strategies, whether the pillar is focused on growth, quality or resilience. A strategic plan will only be revisited or include diversity targets with determined leadership. After nearly two years of hard pivots demanded by a public health emergency, companies have the bandwidth and know-how to accommodate new demands placed on performance, with strong leadership at the helm.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that there is no uniform experience of anything. Even a virus with no understanding of human differences impacts people dissimilarly. The pandemic has also revealed that the best disaster planning begins and ends with building up an organization’s resilience. Preparedness informed by our experience with SARS in 2002 only went so far in 2021. The climate events of today are not predictors of the climate events of tomorrow. And it’s impossible to predict what other high-consequence, low-probability black swan event may swim our way.

Ultimately, businesses that choose to pursue meaningful progress on EDI and are deliberate about it are the ones that will succeed. If a business is going to serve the largest consumer base possible, attract the best talent, minimize its burden on society and the planet, and succeed in the face of dynamic and unpredictable threats, it will only do so with the widest range of perspectives available to it.

We find ourselves in a moment where our businesses require an all-hands-on-deck approach to EDI and where far too many vital perspectives are still excluded. Yet the leaders of many organizations opt for the path of least resistance, shrinking away from discomfort in the belief that difficult conversations are an unfortunate byproduct, rather than a marker of progress, on EDI. These leaders are missing the point.

The enormity of this challenge and its disruptiveness should make you feel uncomfortable. It’s an indication you fully appreciate the extent of the changes required and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Keep your pride in progress close but keep your feelings of discomfort closer.

 

I initially reached out to Dr. David Naylor, co-chair of Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force and professor and former dean of medicine at the University of Toronto, to talk about Canada’s COVID-19 response.

The conversation we ended up having was far more fluid, touching on an expansive range of subjects, from recent changes to our society, our economy, and our health-care system, to the lessons learned from previous national crises. It was an opportunity for us both to reflect and think positively about the future, while contemplating growing concerns that loom large, such as inequity, polarization, and an increasingly competitive global landscape.

Dr. Naylor brings a sober perspective on the challenges that lie ahead, as well as optimism about Canada’s potential to use this inflection point for the better. I hope you will enjoy the following sections from our conversation in December, which has been edited for length and clarity.

 

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the changes we have seen in Canada are striking. As an insider to government’s response, what have you seen and what do you think it means for the future?

The epidemic has been a personal transformative experience for huge numbers of people. It’s surprising when you speak with individuals, how they reset in personal ways, how they reset their relationships with family and how they reset their view of their external social relationships. You also get the continuing psychology of fear, fear of infection, fear of not only death, but long-term symptomatology from COVID. And all that underpinning of anxiety that besets people is like a trepidation about the social sphere.

Oddly, a fair number of people, instead of a risk-averse response, are now picking up new things that challenge and stretch them in different ways. Almost as if the constraints on normalcy liberated them. People travelling more in the region, looking for space that’s green and clean, where they can be outdoors, movement away from big cities to rural areas. All these changes are byproducts of the individual, family unit or community responses to unprecedented social stress.

 

What do you think it has meant for our thinking and our relationship with science?

This is a period when science has shone and when public faith in the importance of investing in science, investing in research, building strong public health and healthcare systems, has been heavily reinforced. It has also changed our relationship with science in a variety of ways that are surprisingly personal. There’s a real appreciation of the extraordinary breakthroughs that have led to rapid access to effective vaccines on a scale we’ve never seen before. Of course, it also means there’s a group that has always been hesitant about vaccines or about medicine. There’s been a polarization because of the fact that we have had mass intervention. Not only one that’s been encouraged, but one that is being mandated.

 

While that polarization is clearly evident, we have also seen cooperation between all levels of government, and worldwide cooperation when it came to the sharing of knowledge and information. How do you see leaders balancing those two things?

That’s a challenge that will only be met if the winning conditions are set in advance for collaboration. There was indeed global collaboration on clinical trials and on sharing immunological information. The fact that the genome sequence of the virus was shared so quickly by Chinese scientists, despite attempts by Chinese authorities to downplay the SARS-CoV-2 threat initially, is another example of that ethos of sharing scientific evidence.

But we’re still struggling with callbacks to gain traction to get large swaths of the world’s population even a first dose of a vaccine. A really interesting challenge is finding ways to create a situation where the local and global or at least multilateral institutions become intertwined positively. Frankly, Donald Trump’s sort of nativist presidency, in terms of setting a tone, reinforced a lot of the worst instincts of many countries in the OECD. We did pretty well, considering that powerful counterforce, the world’s most influential nation.

 

What do we need to do better as a country?

We’re now paying a massive premium to bring mRNA vaccines back to Canada. This is a story that recurs time and again with discoveries made in Canada. Problem is that we assume that the only thing we need to do is focus on the development and commercialization and we do not recognize that we have to be competitive in generating the ideas and discoveries that will feed that whole pipeline and keep it flowing. Other countries have gotten very good at taking Canadian discoveries and capitalizing on them, we want a world where Canada is very good at taking other people’s discoveries and capitalizing on them, as well as making the highest and best use of our own discoveries.

Let me focus on one topic, however, that is often overlooked. We’re now paying billions of dollars to deliver M-RNA COVID-19 vaccines to millions of Canadians. Much of the core technology underpinning those vaccines was actually developed in Canada. This is a story that recurs time and again with discoveries made here. We need to get much better at development and commercialization of discoveries, even as we remain competitive in generating the ideas and discoveries that will feed the pipeline of innovation and keep new products and services flowing. Other countries have become very adept at taking Canadian discoveries and capitalizing on them. We want a world where Canada is very good at assimilating international discoveries and capitalizing on them, as well as making the highest and best use of an ever-growing number of our own discoveries and ideas.

 

Is our challenge, in part, that we’re not very good at looking and thinking long term?

This is a challenge with democracy. Individuals who run governments are asked to reapply for their jobs every few years, and we have the opportunity to turn down their applications and find another set of people to govern. That’s a blessing in most cases.

It does, however, create a horizon problem by its very nature. The pandemic is provoking that same type of defensive response. It has been exacerbated because some of our provincial juniors have been less than assiduous in following science advice, with tragic consequences, unfortunately.

Many of the problems facing the planet instead require a big vision, a long-term view, multilateral collaboration, and a different way of doing business involving the public and private sectors. Retreating into a shell is understandable given what we’ve faced with the pandemic, but it’s exactly the wrong response.

 

While we aspire to plan for the long term, the threat of omicron is immediate. what are the implications?

Omicron is a big problem on two fronts. It can infect a substantial proportion of people who’ve had two COVID-19 shots or a previous COVID-19 infection. And it has genetic mutations that enable much faster spread.

Omicron appears less virulent than Delta but even if on average it’s milder, the spread is so fast that the numbers of those severely ill might still overrun ICU capacity with many deaths and health-care disruptions. other seasonal respiratory viruses. To ice that victory, we need a huge push to vaccinate the world. And thereafter, I expect we’ll need COVID-19 shots every year or two just as happens with flu.

 

The push to vaccinate the world is a difficult one for political leaders, who only face electoral consequences from local voters. what role should canada be playing?

Canada needs to share some of the supplies of vaccines for which we have advance purchase agreements, or provide more funds to support global COVID-19 vaccine delivery, or some combination of both strategies. One way or another, Canada should make generous commitments to help ensure the whole world is immunized against SARS-CoV-2, not just — as the WHO argues — to prevent the emergence of more mutations, but motivated by basic decency and a sense of our shared humanity.

 

In what ways do you think covid-19 changed the way we think about public health?

I expect we will see the federal and provincial governments make
major investments in pandemic preparedness. As for the general public, I would not be surprised to see ongoing behaviours that are commonplace in Asia. People in flu or cold season wearing masks in public places much of the time, and masking up even in summer when in closed spaces like a subway car. While I do think SARS-CoV-2 will recede with intermittent outbreaks and seasonal flares like other respiratory viruses, I’m also hoping for a permanent reset of our attitudes towards issues like the social determinants of health.

 

Over the last year, we’ve spoken much more holistically about the impact of lockdowns on mental health, about negative health outcomes that come from income insecurity. we’ve talked about basic income, universal child care, workplace protections. as the pandemic recedes, do you think our focus on “being in this together” will last?

As I mentioned, I would like to think that we’ve had a hard lesson on the social determinants of health. This has been an acute example of the extent to which income inequality, homelessness, job sites and being racialized have all come into play as factors that have been associated with an inequitable or differential burden of disease and adverse outcomes.

Some of those lessons are likely to be enduring in their impact. I really hope some of them are when it comes to combating systemic racism and when it comes to thinking about the social determinants in a more holistic way.

But I would caution that a lot of this is being magnified by the pandemic. We’ve had big experiments.

People say, well, SARS was small. And this is the big one that we’ve all read about for decades in the public health sphere. And that’s true. But remember, after each of the world wars, there was a similar flowering of socially directed policy-making. It lasted a few years and it faded.

While I do feel encouraged by a lot of what’s happened in the way of debate, discussion and policy discourse, and I think some of it will stick, I would say, realistically, people will slip back into their old ways of thinking and acting over time. I simply hope that some of the constructive and progressive things we have learned from the pandemic are baked in.

 

How do we avoid slipping back into old ways of thinking when some of the reflections of the past two years have transformed the way we think about social policy and social good?

Programming and consideration around combating systemic racism need to be sustained for many years to begin to have an impact. And if we can make sure that none of this is treated as short-term values, we will be well served. This gets back to the horizons problem, which requires that these issues be treated not as partisan chips to be played at the electoral table, but rather as part of a shift in the ethos of the country that is embraced by all parties, just as universal health care was decades ago.

 

You have been at the centre of so much advanced thinking in this country, whether it was SARS or Covid, and through your medical and scientific work. what has been most interesting about this work?

It’s been interesting to see how often Canada has been in a position to do things that were globally transformative and somehow looked away at the wrong moment. That’s been true when you examine issues and health policy and social policy, when you think about innovation more generally. We still have one of the lowest private sector expenditure levels on R&D.

We’re fortunate because we have abundant natural resources. Above all, we have abundant human resources because we have managed to be open to immigration when we scoop spectacular talent from across the world.

So much of what has lifted the country is trying to be open and inclusive, and maintain a multicultural society. We have work to do with Indigenous reconciliation. We have work to do in combating systemic racism. We had the classic Canadian response where we felt we were morally superior to the U.S. because we didn’t collect race- based data on many social and health issues, which is willful blindness.

Look at the data. Yes, we look better than our neighbour to the south. But we have a huge amount to do. My generation watched opportunities slip by for the country to be even better than it is. Nonetheless, look around the world right now. For all the frustrations of being a Canadian, it’s hard to imagine a better place to be.

 

Acceleration is a tricky thing to capture. Whether it be in a chemical reaction or a speeding car, it confounds the naked eye to measure the pace of change. Depending on the point of origin and direction of travel, it can cause intense excitement or profound anxiety. For better or worse, it is the essence of disruption on the road to creation.

When trends accelerate, our world transforms — and this has never been clearer than it is right now. The pandemic has poured kerosene on the flame of invention, bringing new ideas to the fore and hastening transformations already underway.

Thankfully, for all the heartache and hardship of the past two years, there is something to celebrate. Our truly shared experience has redefined our priorities. It has forced us to reconsider our assumptions about big questions. Most of all, for those who can meet the challenge, it has created opportunities for exponential success. Any winning race car driver knows a crash — when all the other cars brake — is the moment to accelerate, not slow down. That is what we have done at Navigator.

So, this edition of Perspectives is different. Our colleagues wanted to focus on the ideas that have taken off since 2020, and how they are reshaping our world.

In some cases, change has raised unanswered questions, as we found when examining how a prevailing consensus on climate action belies a gulf of disagreement on the ideal approach to transition. For others, acceleration has promoted dormant priorities to the vanguard of action, as in the amplified role of mental health in addressing the Great Resignation. The same is true of Quebec’s childcare program emerging as a model for rebuilding a more resilient and inclusive Canadian economy.

In every case, we set out to provide a snapshot of a major trend accelerated by our pandemic era. In doing so, I hope we have sketched a portrait of our future — with some advice on what we’ve learned.

The biggest takeaway for me? Put your foot on the gas and embrace the pace of change. Acceleration is here to stay and this moment of disruption can either be a cradle or a death knell. So, lean into change. It’s how we’ve approached 20 years of Navigator — and how we’ll approach many more. We should not let the momentum of this moment fade because for all its challenges, we will be better for it. After all, who would let a good crisis go to waste?

ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH provides Canadians an opportunity to understand and recognize the achievements and significant cultural impact made by Canadians of Asian descent. While these achievements have always warranted celebration, this year there is an added imperative to stand with our Asian Canadian colleagues and friends in the wake of an unacceptable rise in discrimination.

The theme for this year’s Asian Heritage Month is “Recognition, Resilience, and Resolve”. The federal government believes this theme embodies a myriad of sentiments that peoples of Asian descent in Canada have experienced and aims to use this month to honour diverse stories rooted in resilience and perseverance.

Three of our colleagues have provided insightful, compelling, and personal accounts of what Asian Heritage Month means to them, and lessons that we can all learn. We know that stories have the potential to build empathy, understanding and alignment more than any press release or corporate message, and we hope that their perspectives in particular will motivate readers to incorporate anti-racism, inclusivity, and respect into their personal and professional lives.

 

 

 

 

Heon Lee, Intern

WHILE IT IS IMPORTANT to continue to acknowledge and celebrate the immeasurable impacts of Asian-Canadians to the nation, this year’s Asian Heritage Month invites us to also consider matters of arguably equal or greater importance: the difficulties and challenges of Asian-Canadians.

“We share a superordinate heritage under which diversity and uniformity coexist simultaneously. We must look to find solutions and build solidarity to move forward.”

Over the past year, the rise in hatred, discrimination and violence towards members of the Asian diaspora across the globe has exacerbated the already devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has placed members at a greater risk of danger and scapegoating, and at its worst, members of the Asian diaspora have faced incidents of overt racism. In Vancouver, a city known for its historic Asian-Canadian presence, hate crimes against Asians have increased by 717 per cent in just one year according to a report by the Vancouver Police.

While I am fortunate to have not fallen victim to the tragedies that many are currently facing, the stories and experiences of other members of my community have nonetheless resonated as questions around ethnicity, citizenship and race have become increasingly relevant in my day-to-day life and existential identity. I suddenly became more conscious of the things that I’ve taken for granted by virtue of living in a multicultural nation.

The experiences of every Asian-Canadian throughout the course of this pandemic have been different but we share a superordinate heritage under which diversity and uniformity coexist simultaneously. We must look to find solutions and build solidarity to move forward.

This year’s Asian Heritage Month presents us an opportunity to come together to deliberate on ways we can take action to address the issues that continue to challenge us, and reflect on the significance of having Asian heritage in Canada.

 

 

 

 

Jamila Kanji, Associate Consultant

IN THE 1980s, my parents packed up the life they knew and moved from East Africa to Canada, leaving their home, their culture, their family and friends. They had nothing but a few bucks and a whole lot of ambition, driven to build a better life for themselves and their family that had yet to grow. They worked hard in the day, studied into the night, shopped at local thrift shops, saved nearly every dollar they could and were no stranger to racial discrimination.

“Despite multiculturalism being a core principle of Canada, we see stereotypes being used to define us in ways that do not define us at all.”

I am proud to have parents that immigrated to Canada, who put everything on the line for my brothers and I, even if that meant we needed to arrive at the airport earlier than others because we would be “randomly” checked at security; even if that meant there were certain areas we couldn’t visit without being batted a look or something much worse; even if that meant I needed to answer an umpteenth number of times that I am in fact Canadian; and even if that meant I would statistically earn less money than a non-visible minority woman.

Our story is not an anomaly. It is the story of so many hard-working, dedicated individuals, who have left a prior life to start a new journey — who sought a safer country in a time of civil upheaval elsewhere — only to be judged on their accent, questioned about their “real name,” and offered less money for opportunities they are exceedingly qualified for. Despite multiculturalism being a core principle of Canada, we see time and time again the wearing of hijabs and turbans debated in provinces; we see stereotypes being used to define us in ways that do not define us at all.

Is progress being made? Yes. Can we do better? Absolutely. I’m hopeful that future generations can walk the halls of schools and work and truly know they are just as valued as their non-minority counterparts. Although they will need to work hard, I hope they see themselves adequately represented in film, literature, company boards and beyond.

Asian Heritage Month gives us a moment to reflect on the work that’s been done and all the progress that needs to follow. Even more importantly, it provides a renewed appreciation for those who, like my parents, ventured into the unknown with nothing but hope and prayers for something better.

 

 

 

 

Sabeen Thaver, Consultant

COMMON ADVICE GIVEN to new immigrants from Asian countries is, “Don’t think you will get the job at the level you are working at now. You will need to step a level down to get a job in Canada”. Very often, new immigrants find they have to take jobs that they are over-qualified for because they are lacking in “Canadian” experience. The biggest hurdle faced by newcomers to Canada is finding jobs in the field and level they are qualified to work in. Many companies experience hesitancy in accepting these professionals in the workplace, and the challenge stems from the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion.

More than one in five Canadians are foreign-born and about six in 10 recent immigrants were admitted to Canada under the economic category. Economic immigrants are selected because of their outstanding academic and professional successes, and these immigrants chose Canada because they are looking for a safer country with economic opportunities.

The Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) — a group that supports organizations in becoming more inclusive and helps newcomers expand their professional networks, thereby allowing immigrant professionals to reach their fullest potential — identifies two key factors that influence the success of an immigrant’s career path: the middle managers’ influence on an immigrant’s sense of inclusion and performance, and the executives who establish the vision and strategy for the organization. This perspective is informed by existing evidence, as well as interviews with middle managers and diversity and inclusion leaders, some of whom are immigrants themselves.

“Companies and organizations that do not embrace diversity and true inclusion free of prejudice and discrimination risk getting left behind.”

“I was interviewing for a minimum-income job and I asked a hiring manager if there was any position where my marketing and communications skills would be more relevant. The manager told me that I don’t have Canadian experience, and that I had to start somewhere,” wrote one participant.

“The most frequent advice given to immigrants who would like to progress within an organization is the ‘you should be grateful’ mindset. This is biased advice — you should feel comfortable to ask for more — whether in terms of salary or responsibilities,” wrote another. These biases will not be addressed by one-off training sessions, but require broad and sustained commitments from inclusive middle managers who hire and advance diverse talent and celebrate diverse perspectives. Similarly, executives need to empower middle managers to identify issues that hinder inclusive behaviour.

One thing for certain is Canada is in a strong position to make the most of immigrant professionals that have global experiences. With middle managers and senior executives forging an inclusive strategy for their companies, they will benefit from providing opportunities to this diverse workforce. Companies and organizations that do not embrace diversity and true inclusion free of prejudice and discrimination risk getting left behind.