CBC reaffirms commitment to inclusion

CBC/Radio-Canada says it’s exceeded goals to hire more Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities. The public broadcaster says the groups represent 27.2 per cent of new hires between April 1 and June 30, which surpasses its target of 25.4 per cent. The CBC did not say how many people that represented. The CBC says it has also already reached its goal of 2.1 per cent Indigenous representation by 2020, and that 48.9 per cent of employees are women. Gains have been significant in recent years — the CBC says the number of visible minorities and persons with disabilities increased by more than 40 per cent between April 2015 and 2018. A spokesman said the total number of employees as of April 1 was 7,588. The data was announced as CBC/Radio-Canada held its annual public meeting in Edmonton, when the broadcaster also released a three-year strategy to better reflect a range of perspectives in its content, workplace culture and staff. The 2018-21 diversity and inclusion plan includes a recently launched pilot program that offers paid placements to persons with disabilities in Toronto. If successful, the pilot would be expanded to a national program next year. Other objectives include a focus on developing diverse future leaders and retaining diverse staff. Catherine Tait, CBC/RadioCanada’s president and CEO, said the broadcaster wants to “make sure all Canadians are heard on our airwaves.”