From Compliance to Inclusion: Implementing an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan for a Federal Funding Program in Canada

Society of Research Administrators International. 500 North Washington Street Suite 300, Falls Church, VA 22046. Tel: 703-741-0140; Fax: 703-741-0142; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://www.srainternational.org/resources/journal

Y

17

Inclusion; Equal Education; Diversity; Federal Programs; Foreign Countries; Disproportionate Representation; Females; Indigenous Populations; Disabilities; Minority Groups; Educational Policy; Compliance (Legal)

1539-1590

Like many other countries, Canada's academic system has been challenged to achieve proportionate representation of historically underrepresented groups. Canadian equity law identifies four designated groups (FDG) for whom conditions of disadvantage shall be corrected: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities. In 2006 the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued a settlement agreement with the Canada Research Chairs program, a federally-funded research program, in response to a complaint concerning the lack of representation of the FDG among the program's appointed Chairs. The agreement identified a series of measures and actions, such as setting equity targets and ongoing tracking, that the Program would undertake. In 2017, due to lack of progress in improving equitable participation in the Program, the Program established new requirements for institutions to develop equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plans. This case study examines how the University of Ottawa implemented its EDI action plan to meet the regulatory compliance requirements of this national research chairs funding program, and how it used the plan to help drive equity, diversity and inclusion activities at its institution. The study describes the activities undertaken by the Vice-President Research Office, including the analyses conducted to identify barriers to participation in the program, actions taken, and results achieved. Over a two-year period, the University recruited more than 20 research chairs from underrepresented groups, thereby meeting all equity targets and exceeding targets for three of four groups. In conjunction with the initial implementation of the EDI plan, broader institutional level activities were undertaken, including creation of an advisory committee that guided the development of a broader EDI in Research Action Plan. Key observations from this study are: effective equity, diversity and inclusion strategies are sustained efforts which are context-specific; compliance requirements can be effective incentives if implemented as part of a larger institutional transformation; and research administrators have a key role to play in this area, which is part of their expanding tool kit.

As Provided

2023

EJ1403272