Thank you.
My name is Clare Barnett, and I am the City of Brampton's Economic Development director. Prior to joining the City, I worked at the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and the Cabinet Office of the Government of Ontario. I've been working in the field of economic development for over 20 years. I've been in leadership positions for the past 15 years.
My comments today will focus on the diversity of women in Brampton and the examples that show that when women have mentors in their careers, they overcome barriers and challenges that affect their economic empowerment.
First, I would like to tell you about Pink Attitude Evolution. Pink Attitude Evolution was founded in 2015 in Brampton as the first not-for-profit organization of its kind in Canada, where women of South Asian origin are empowered to achieve their full potential in their chosen endeavours. Its work on the changing face of Canada's workforce includes a national research study with a goal of creating an accompanying action plan on unlocking the potential of a growing South Asian women labour force.
Their study, released in 2020, which the City of Brampton sponsored, found that South Asian women are twice as likely to say that they are treated unfairly in the workplace. It revealed that more than 57% of South Asian women are planning to leave their jobs for other opportunities. The study followed a 2020 Statistics Canada report that discovered that South Asian women have almost twice the national unemployment rate. They are also more likely to be underemployed and underpaid compared with non-visible minority women.
Important contrasts within the study suggest that South Asian women born in Canada and those already established in this country face different obstacles and will need distinct supports to succeed. Established South Asian women, for example, can be role models of the future, but they first need mentorship to break through the glass ceiling.
The second example I would like to share with you is a success story from a woman mentored throughout her career. MDA is an international space mission partner and a robotics, satellite systems and geo-intelligence pioneer based in Brampton. After 50 years, it is now building a new global headquarters and centre of excellence in the city. Its leadership team is seven women and seven men.
One of the women is Holly Johnson, vice-president of robotics and space operations. She joined MDA as an engineering student in 2008. In 2010, she became a systems engineer. Then she became a business development manager, director of operations, vice-president of operations and now vice-president of robotics and space operations. Throughout her career, she was guided, supported and mentored. When I asked her what the mentoring culture was like at MDA, she said that every one of her managers pulled her up into a stretch position because they saw her potential and ability. There is a culture at MDA to reward talent and ambition, which is very progressive.
Another example is the Mastercard emerging leaders cyber initiative, which is delivered by Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst in Brampton. This program is for women and non-binary leaders seeking to advance to executive-level positions in cybersecurity. ELCI is the first in the world. Career mentoring is a key component of the program, providing participants with personalized support, guidance and mentorship from senior cyber executives.
My final example is the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women's Empowerment. The centre's mission is to empower young women. It offers after-school programs, workshops, camps, and events based on four pillars: financial education; studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; community engagement; and empowerment. Based in South Etobicoke, Toronto, the centre organized a pilot STEM camp in Brampton this summer.
I think mentoring is one of the key elements to ensuring women's career growth and economic empowerment. Without this, women will continue to hit glass or cement ceilings, ending up on the glass cliff.
I would like to request the consideration of this committee as to what some of the best employee-led mentorship programs are and the role of big employers in order to enable scaling and best practices. In addition, how can mentors play a role, outside of their organizations, to support women professionals and entrepreneurs in their communities?
This can build on the Government of Canada's 50-30 challenge. The goal of the program is to challenge—