Deloitte Canada creates journey map to help corporate Canada empower Black talent

Toronto, May 25, 2023 – Deloitte Canada is launching the third installment of its Black in Canada report series, Spotlighting Black talent at every stage of their careers. Designed to highlight the moments where organizations can make a meaningful impact on the success of its Black employees, the framework encourages corporate Canada to take action to dismantle systemic barriers and adopt metrics to stay accountable to the fight against anti-Black racism.

“The barriers facing Black talent in Canada are deeply entrenched and there is no single resource designed to help organizations tackle the challenges facing our Black colleagues in the corporate world,” says Anthony Viel, CEO, Deloitte Canada and Co-Chair of the Black Action Council. “The Journey map framework is designed to be the first step of many for corporate Canada to understand the experiences and barriers facing Black talent, discover actions to foster more inclusive workplaces, and develop metrics to measure purposeful change and stay accountable.”

In 2020, Deloitte Canada formed the Black Action Council (BAC), a working collective of senior leaders and practitioners from diverse self-identification groups designed to foster inclusive, safe, and equitable environments for our Black colleagues.

To explore the key milestones and barriers faced by Black talent in Canada, the report focuses on the “moments that matter” for three Black personas at the early, mid, and executive career levels. Built upon a series of Deloitte-led focus groups, an internal survey of the Black community, and industry research, each persona illustrates how Black talent in Canada continues to experience systemic barriers at every level, from a lack of Black representation in leadership roles, to limited sponsorship opportunities, and pay inequity.

“It’s easy for organizations to set goals and make investments, but in order to stay accountable to undoing racist organizational frameworks, it is urgent that corporate Canada begins to measure the impact of its actions and transparently communicate its progress,” says Praveck Geeanpersadh, Partner, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Deloitte Canada. “As a BlackNorth Pledge signatory, we know we have a long way to go to meet our targets and the introduction of this journey map is just one more method we’re using to move the needle forward for Black talent in Canada.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to maintaining an inclusive workplace that fosters open dialogue, Deloitte hosted a Black in Canada panel discussion on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. The panel hosted Anthony Viel, CEO, Deloitte Canada, Racheal Awe, Vice President, Canadian Tire, Andrew Alleyne, Partner, Fasken, and Velma McColl, National Marketplace Growth Lead, Earnscliffe Strategies for an in-depth conversation on how organizations can create more inclusive workplaces.

As a pledge of the BlackNorth Initiative, Deloitte is committed to providing Black individuals with opportunities for success and initiatives to actively breakdown barriers both within and outside of the workplace. Having committed three per cent of corporate donations to the empowerment of Black talent since 2020, Deloitte has contributed over $125,000 per year to non-profit organizations supporting Black communities in Canada. In tandem, Deloitte also led the launch of a mentorship program in collaboration with other BlackNorth Initiative signatories to offer the first cross business networking and mentoring initiative for Black professionals in corporate Canada.

About Deloitte Canada:

Deloitte provides audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500® companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and service to address clients' most complex business challenges. Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

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