International Women’s Day: Recruiting, retaining and promoting more women into leadership positions key to Canada’s sustainable economic recovery and growth

(OTTAWA) – March 8, 2022– It is now well-known that the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women in the workforce. Far from being a “women’s issue”, this is an economic issue with broad implications that directly affect Canada’s recovery from the pandemic and future economic growth.

“Women dominated the sectors that were hardest-hit by the pandemic,” says Lead Nord, Senior Director of Workforce Strategies and Inclusive Growth of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “For many women, increased domestic responsibility meant they were at best less productive and, at worse, falling out of the workforce in unprecedented numbers, all in the midst of a Canada-wide skilled labour shortage. Significantly increasing the number of women in the workforce and in senior leadership roles is vital to address these issues.”

For this reason, this International Women’s Day, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is launching its Council for Women’s Advocacy’s (CWA) Championing Women in Business in Canada – a practical toolkit providing steps and resources to assist Canadian employers to recruit, retain and promote more women into leadership positions and bring them onto boards of directors.

“When women reach their full potential in the workplace, the whole economy grows and all Canadians reap the benefits,” says Penny Wise, President of 3M Canada and Co-Chair of the CWA. “We hope the Championing Women in Business in Canada toolkit can help create an inclusive, sustainable recovery and business community where all Canadians can succeed.”

Download a copy of Championing Women in Business here.

Learn more about the work of the Canadian Chamber’s Council for Women’s Advocacy here.

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce — The Future of Business Success

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most activated business network — representing 450 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 businesses of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country — to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance.

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Contact
Emily Walsh
Contact: ewalsh@chamber.ca