Getting ahead on diversity in public companies – Lexpert TV

John M. Valley, Jennifer Jeffrey

Dec 29, 2022

Significant progress has been made in the number of women on boards and senior leadership positions since the launch of our first Diversity Disclosure Practices report in 2015, but representation from visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities is still lacking, say John Valley, partner, Corporate, and Chair, ESG, and Jennifer Jeffrey, associate, Corporate, in an interview with Lexpert TV.

Across all companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, more than one in four directors (26%) on boards is a woman. This is a significant change from 2015 when women represented, on average, 10% of directors at TSX companies. As well, the number of TSX companies with more than 50% women directors on their boards almost doubled from the previous year.

According to Statistics Canada data, visible minorities collectively represent about 22.5% of the population, but represent only about eight percent of board seats on the TSX. Numbers for Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities are also disappointing. There is reason for optimism, however, as the number of companies disclosing racial diversity and disability data has increased by approximately 35% over the last two years.

Watch the full interview with presenter Brodie Lawson posted by Lexpert TV in December 2022

Read the interview with John Valley and Jennifer Jeffrey on the Lexpert website 

Read our 2022 Diversity Disclosure Practices report