From my perspective, in the conversation around whether DEI should or shouldn't exist, etc., folks are very concerned about the numbers and the success rates. The numbers don't lie, and the numbers are telling us that Black youth are being left behind. Whether we want to call it DEI or whether we want to call it whatever, something needs to change. Whatever we want to call it, opportunity needs to start knocking on their doors. The conversation is irrelevant if we're not going to move towards actual change.
For our organization, it's about access for all Canadians, including Black youth. Right now, if we sit at a 24.5% unemployment rate, that is a problem for Canada to address, not Black youth and not our organization as a whole. The conversation can continue, but it needs to then move into some type of action that addresses this very immediate need.