FORGING AHEAD ON DIVERSITY
Mining industry works to increase female, Indigenous representation
It seems that there are as many theories about the lack of diversity in Canada’s mining industry as there are facets on an expertly cut diamond.
However, operating in a province rich with potash, uranium, base metals, gold and diamonds, Saskatchewan mining companies are in full agreement that the issue of diversity and inclusion needs to be actively addressed.
While 48 per cent of the overall Canadian labour market is female, women only make up about 17 per cent of the mining workforce.
Saskatoon-based Nancy Komperdo is principal in charge of business integration, potash strategy and development with the international resources company BHP, formerly known as BHP Billiton. A registered professional geologist, Komperdo has worked at nickel, diamond and potash mines throughout her career. She is thoughtful on the topic of gender balance in Saskatchewan mining.
“Everyone reacts differently to the issue of diversity and inclusion, and people tend to take a personal view. It can be hard to move the needle, but there are concentrated local efforts to increase the diversity of our talent pool and the benefits that come with that diversity,” she says.
BHP, with global headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, and the Jansen potash project in east-central Saskatchewan, set an “aspirational” goal in 2016 for women to make up half of its global workforce by the year 2025. Women currently make up about 17 per cent of BHP’s workforce, which includes about 200 employees in Canada.
The company says diversity works, pointing out that its international sites with more diverse workforces and management teams achieve better results. Komperdo says this includes fewer safety incidents, lower employee turnover and “15 per cent higher production.”
As part of her own personal commitment to gender diversity, Komperdo has volunteered for five years with Women in Mining/ Women in Nuclear Saskatchewan and is serving as the organization’s past-chair. She has also been chair of Women in Mining Canada.
When it comes to employing Aboriginal workers, Ryan Montpellier, executive director of the Ottawabased Mining Industry Human Resources (MiHR) Council, says companies are showing leadership.
“By engaging with local communities, Cameco (Corp.) in northern Saskatchewan and diamond mines in the Northwest Territories have been leaders in this space. These companies work hard to be representative of the communities they operate in,” says Montpellier.
According to Statistics Canada, more than 16 per cent of Saskatchewan’s population is Aboriginal and it is the youngest and fastest growing demographic in Canada. A 2015 report co-sponsored by the International Minerals Innovation Institute found that in 2011 about 10 per cent of workers in the Saskatchewan mining industry were of Indigenous descent, about on par with Aboriginal participation in the province’s labour force in general.
Montpellier offers two theories on why so few women work in the industry.
One is that Canadian women are not selecting careers in the trades in general. An October 2017 report by the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters indicated that women account for just 4.5 per cent of industrial trades workers, and MiHR research shows that females comprise approximately five per cent of mining industrial trades and production occupations.
I suggest young women take from a potential mentor what that mentor can provide. Maybe that is more than one person. Your mentor should be a champion for what you believe in and your career path. Anne Gent, senior environmental scientist, Cameco Corp.
I’m really impressed with the interest and momentum that the strategic issue of diversity and inclusion currently has in our industry, particularly over the past three or four years.
LEANNE BELLEGARDE, director of strategic inclusion, Nutrien
Secondly, mining is perceived as a male-dominated industry and barriers such as shift work, remote mine locations and fly-in, fly-out schedules can deter women.
The MiHR, which receives federal and provincial government funding, tries to match the diversity and skill set of the labour force with the needs of the Canadian mining industry. The non-profit organization represents organizations involved in mineral extraction, processing and exploration across Canada.
Its Gender Equity in Mining (GEM) Works Initiative was created to help the Canadian mining and minerals industry speed up the institutional change needed to boost the number of women in mining. GEM Works resources include an eLearning program, an executive development session and other supporting tools.
Nutrien’s director of strategic inclusion, Leanne Bellegarde, a member of the Peepeekisis First Nation and File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council in Treaty 4 territory, believes progress is being made.
“I’m really impressed with the interest and momentum that the strategic issue of diversity and inclusion currently has in our industry, particularly over the past three or four years,” says Bellegarde, who has been in the mining industry for eight years.
As an example of this momentum, she cites the positive reception that Senator Murray Sinclair received for a keynote speech on residential schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he delivered at the Saskatchewan Mining Supply Chain Forum in Saskatoon in April.
Nutrien, formed in January by the merger of PotashCorp and Agrium, recently published an Aboriginal Content Playbook that outlines ways the company is increasing Aboriginal participation in its business activities. Its goals include raising Aboriginal direct employment, subcontracting to local Aboriginal suppliers, supporting new businesses and entrepreneurship, and investing in communities.
Speaking from personal experience, Bellegarde says mentorship can play a key role in helping under-represented workers.
“I have been grateful for informal relationships with so many coaches, mentors and sponsors in my career and their support has been invaluable,” she says.
“These individuals have been male and female, non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal. Whether it is oneon-one coaching or an executive sponsor saying my name at a highlevel meeting, these relationships have all supported my career development.”
Anne Gent, a senior environmental scientist with uranium producer Cameco Corp., suggests informal mentorships are beneficial, with different people filling different needs.
“I suggest young women take from a potential mentor what that mentor can provide. Maybe that is more than one person. Your mentor should be a champion for what you believe in and your career path,” says Gent.
While female and Aboriginal employees remain under-represented in Saskatchewan’s mining industry, change is top-of-mind at large companies and organizations that represent professions, industry and government.
In fact, in May 2015 the Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of Saskatchewan joined Engineers Canada’s 30 by 30 initiative to raise the percentage of newly licensed engineers that are women to 30 per cent by the year 2030. It currently stands at 17 per cent.
Gent, chair of Women in Mining/ Women in Nuclear Saskatchewan, says she has seen improvement during her more than 10 years in the industry, including five years on-site at Cameco’s Key Lake milling operations in northern Saskatchewan.
“Since I began working in mining, diversity and the number of women in the workforce has increased. As Saskatchewan becomes more diverse as a whole, mining companies will move forward in tandem with the demographics of the province.”
BHP’s Komperdo added: “The recent uptake on the issue of diversity and inclusion is refreshing and the changes underway are fantastic.”