Chapter 7 of Davies Governance Insights 2020
Over the past five years, Canadian public companies have been largely focused on improving gender diversity. Some progress has been made, including in increasing the number of women holding director and senior executive positions. Recent events, however, have taken the discussion beyond gender, and Canadian public companies are now facing greater pressure to improve the overall diversity of their organizations. Systemic racism and discrimination have become issues of particular importance for stakeholders. In this chapter, we discuss the most significant diversity-related developments over the past year and the evolving expectations being placed on Canadian issuers. We also consider the current regulatory framework and potential for changes in the future. We conclude with recommendations for boards and executive teams to consider in order to foster diversity and inclusion, and keep pace with the ever-changing landscape.
This chapter appears in the 2020 edition of Davies Governance Insights, our comprehensive annual report on the trends and issues most important to Canadian public companies.
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