Building a caring, inclusive society

Our position

Universities in Canada are making great effort to ensure students of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences feel welcomed and included.

Universities across the country are committed to making their campuses more welcoming, inclusive, equitable and accessible. Ensuring students feel like they belong regardless of their gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion, culture, socio-economic background or residency status is a critical step to maintaining Canada’s global leadership in education and talent attraction.

At universities, students learn about different perspectives, ideas and experiences. By gaining a wide range of viewpoints and concepts, they are not only contributing to a more innovative and prosperous Canada — they are also helping to create a more caring and inclusive society.

Socio-cultural and political events in Canada and across the world have demonstrated the need for further efforts and investments in equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. By working together with governments and community organizations, universities are making significant changes and progress.

Background and context

Universities are working towards equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) in multiple ways, including through teaching, learning, research and governance.

Actions universities are taking

Universities are taking actions to change administrative structures, existing policies, practices and the current campus climate. Universities are hiring more and more staff and faculty from underrepresented groups to better serve the diverse student population. They are also implementing new and improving existing policies and practices, like adopting an institutional definition of EDIA. They hold events about equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility to raise awareness on their campuses.

These efforts are done alongside the work of Indigenization and reconciliation on campuses.

How Universities Canada helps to promote EDIA

Universities Canada is dedicated in supporting its members in their ongoing efforts to make their campuses more equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible. The main three initiatives we are collaborating on together:

• Affirming a commitment to a set of seven Inclusive Excellence Principles. These principles are re-affirmed yearly.
• Working towards the 10 actions in the EDIA Action Plan for 2024-2029. These actions aim to achieve four desired outcomes of culture change and integration, measurable progress, policy development and federal investment.
• Collecting helpful data through Universities Canada’s EDIA surveys, done every three years. The data can be used to determine progress made on campuses and areas in need of improvement.
  • 2022 survey
  • 2019 survey