Backgrounder: Employment Equity Achievement Awards

A full-day Employment Equity Achievement Awards event took place on October 5 in Ottawa to recognize federally regulated private-sector employers and federal contractors for their efforts in implementing employment equity in their workplaces.

Recipients and categories

Sector Distinction

The Sector Distinction award recognizes employers who are inspirational role models in their sector. In addition to demonstrating a strong commitment and achieving success in implementing employment equity in their own organization, these employers also champion employment equity for the sector.

• Enbridge
• Jazz Aviation
• Royal Bank of Canada

Outstanding Commitment

The Outstanding Commitment to Employment Equity award recognizes employers who have demonstrated outstanding commitment in implementing their employment equity plans by instituting measures to remove barriers, adopting special measures and/or establishing positive policies and practices to achieve tangible results.

• ATCO Structures & Logistics Ltd
• Bell Canada
• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
• Canadian National Railway (CN)
• Capital One Bank (Canada)
• Cogeco Connexion Inc.
• Defence Construction (1951) Ltd.
• Hemmera Envirochem Inc.
• HSBC Bank Canada
• Kindersley Transport Ltd.
• Shaw Communications Inc.

Innovation

The Innovation award recognizes employers who have been innovative in the implementation of employment equity. This can include creativity in the design and implementation of measures to remove barriers, adoption of special measures, establishment of positive policies or practices, forward-thinking in human resources practices and/or development of new or unique initiatives.

• Export Development Canada
• Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Inc.
• Queen’s University
• Rogers Communications Inc.