Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Statement

The organization is committed to integrating inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) into our work within health systems that represent the multiple perspectives and diversity found within Canada’s population.  

We acknowledge the need for representation of a diversity of perspectives in the health care systems in Canada as well as the importance of building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible employee culture.  

We recognize the historical and ongoing impact of systemic discrimination in Canada and the challenging realities of equity-deserving groups and as a health system leader, and affirm our commitment to:

• Define our role as an advocate, amplifier, and ally of diverse communities across dimensions of difference in Canada and health care systems.
• Maintain a welcoming, supportive, and accessible environment and culture where individuals are valued for their lived and professional experience and cultivate a culture of inclusion, openness, and self-reflection that makes both an internal and external impact.  
• Create opportunities and direct resources to learning activities for all employees, the Board of Directors, and identified partners to increase cultural safety and humility from a diversity of perspectives across dimensions of difference.
• Adopt an approach in which IDEA is integrated into our work from topic identification and the prioritization, scoping, and development of the products and services that we produce to the dissemination and evaluation of impact of these products and services.  
• Lead and maintain an inclusive language practice with evolving standards and guidance across all communications.  
• Develop reciprocal relationships with equity-deserving communities so their perspectives are valued and the partnership has a meaningful impact to their communities.
• Support health systems–wide progress through collaboration and knowledge sharing to help build resilience and accelerate change.

To keep us accountable to these commitments, we will create an IDEA strategy and action plan that outline each of the commitments, with a focus on:

• specific and measurable outcomes and appropriate timelines
• distribution of accountabilities, responsibilities, and expectations across all levels within the organization
• transparent internal and external communication and reporting on progress and benchmarking.

We will be accountable for reviewing the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Statement, along with the IDEA strategy and action plan, annually with oversight from the Board of Directors to ensure that both the statement and strategy remain priorities for the organization and align with the other strategies.

We also acknowledge the critical need for Indigenous perspectives in Canadian health care systems. As a health systems leader, we affirm our commitment to Reconciliation through our Statement of Reconciliation.