Thank you.
Today, there are only nine female leaders of government in the world. Two countries have gender parity in Parliament, Canada not being one of them, and despite women making up 47% of the workforce, only 5.3% of CEOs in Canada are women. Based on today's progress rate, it will take over 200 years for women to achieve equality in the workplace. That's not good enough.
I'm not here today to tell you that change needs to happen. None of us would be here if we didn't already know that to be true. I'm here to tell you that these issues cannot wait and that by focusing on diversity in leadership we can expedite that change together.
There will be many solutions needed to address an issue so vast as gender equality, but what the research so clearly shows us is that when women lead and are in positions of power, policies, norms, institutions, and mindsets change. By having women in these positions, we can expedite substantive change, but first we must focus on removing those seemingly insurmountable barriers.
I have had the privilege of supporting a program at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade called the women's leadership circle. This past year, we collaborated with the WEB Alliance and the Province of B.C. to host one of North America's largest gatherings on gender equality, the We for She conference. Understanding that women play a key role in economic growth, this conference saw over 1,500 business leaders and young women in high school come together to discuss the challenges, successes, and practical actions to create gender equality in the workplace, all centred around the theme of empowering and championing the next generation.
One of the key action plans that arose from this conference was the need to promote and advocate for diversity. You see, when we broadly discuss barriers to leadership for women, there are more barriers than just gender that need to be addressed. Those policies, norms, institutions, and mindsets that are currently so deeply steeped in bias will not be changed unless diverse women are leading from the top.
I am so deeply grateful for the opportunity to testify in front of this committee today. However, I am also very cognizant of the fact that my voice is being heard because doors have been opened for me that have not been available to other women.
Even though I have faced my own barriers and challenges, the unfortunate truth is that women attaining those coveted leadership positions far too often look like me: white, middle-class, educated, cisgendered, able-bodied women. We cannot let the mistakes of history repeat themselves and allow this movement to be an exclusionary one. We won't get there unless we get there together, because none of us progress if some of us are left behind.
This is what I implore this committee. If you truly want to create substantive change, empower women to lead, but put diversity at the forefront of everything you do. When we have true diversity in leadership, change will come. However, we first need to focus on tangible policy solutions that break down barriers to leadership for all women. We need to do this now, and we need to do it together.
Thank you for your time.