Equitable hiring and promotion practices are not new. However, in recent years, criticism and misconceptions about EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) initiatives have increased.
BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) developed this question and answer (Q and A) resource to provide information about EDI hiring practices. The purpose of this resource is to address common misconceptions. It builds on BCOHRC’s employment equity toolkit, which was created to support employers wanting to learn how to improve equity within their businesses and organizations.
Under B.C.’s Human Rights Code, the Human Rights Commissioner has the power to designate special programs. A “special program” is meant to address disadvantages that certain groups or individuals experience in British Columbia. This goal is achieved by treating those groups in ways which would normally violate the Human Rights Code. This is legal when the initiative helps to address inequality that certain groups experience.1