2015 Diversity Leader
Government of Manitoba
Headquarters: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
CEO: Greg Selinger
Employees: 14,815
Recent Recognition Includes:
- Globe and Mail, Canada’s Top 100 Employer Awards, Manitoba’s Top Employers, 2013 and 2014; Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, 2013 and 2014; and Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, 2013 and 2014
- SCE Lifeworks, Employer of the Year Award, 2014
- Disability Employment Awareness Month Community and Government Committee, Champion of Diversity, 2014
Sam Grande
Over the past five years, the Government of Manitoba has adapted its programming and approach to meet the realities of today’s civil service, says Sam Grande, Manager, Diversity and Inclusion Unit.
“I have seen diversity and inclusion become more relevant to the discussions of how we operate as civil service. We are starting to understand the importance of diversity, not just for the sake of equity and fairness, but also for the added capacity it offers to the organization.
“I’ve seen an evolution in our activities in recent years from a primary focus on recruiting diversity into the organization, to now also fostering a culture of inclusion and respect within the organization. We know from external research and our own internal analysis that openness to different perspectives, different life experiences, and different approaches actually strengthens an organization, with positive links to performance factors like innovation and engagement. So, although we established a diversity strategy in 2008, we’re now looking to update with a new diversity and inclusion strategy that has a broader scope, and ties in with organizational performance measures like engagement and retention.
“I’ve also seen the emphasis of our efforts shift somewhat to different groups as we’ve progressed in the past few years. For example, we have less need to focus on women as an employment equity group because we have now largely achieved our representation goals for this group, though we know there is still more that can be done in other respects. Meanwhile we are putting more of our efforts into initiatives supporting other groups, such persons with disabilities, where we still see gaps between where we are and where we want to be. And, as we talk more about inclusion within the workplace, we’re realizing that it’s not just designated employment equity groups that are facing diversity-related challenges. There are many other dimensions of diversity impacting our workplaces that warrant our attention, such as sexual orientation diversity, generational diversity, and religious diversity.
“Five years ago, we created the Diversity and Inclusion Unit (DIU) within the Civil Service Commission—a very significant development for us. Today, with dedicated resources and staff, we’re able offer better programming and learning opportunities, do more outreach to connect with more people, and incorporate a diversity lens into more areas of government operations.”
