The Canadian Academy believes that “we are the stories we tell,” and as such, the media establishment has an obligation to ensure that every media professional has the opportunity to share their story and fully participate in the industry. We are committed to addressing systemic racism and fostering inclusion in our own practices, while advocating for and building equity across the broader Canadian media ecosystem.

The Academy acknowledges the harmful role it has historically played in perpetuating racist and discriminatory practices and recognizes that diversity, equity, and inclusion requires the dismantling of systemic racism and discriminatory practices. As the largest non-profit professional media arts organization in Canada, we have a responsibility to examine our own practices, strengthen inclusion both internally and externally, and ultimately champion diverse, equitable and inclusive practices within our organization and throughout the media landscape.

Our work has been guided by the Equity Committee of the Board of Directors. As part of our efforts to strengthen equity and inclusion at the Academy, an internal staff Equity Committee  has been established to drive change  within the organization  on matters concerning accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, training and resources have been offered to all Academy members on unconscious bias, anti-racism, and active allyship.

The Academy continues to review and strengthen goals to measure its progress. During our 2020 Annual General Meeting, the Academy set out to achieve the following goals:

  1. Open Doors: Opening doors and training to underrepresented creators.
  2. Invest in Diversity: Advocating for and investing in a more diverse Canadian media landscape, and the stories that come with it.
  3. Remove Barriers: Creating opportunities to access and utilize the platforms which promote Canadian talent.

The Academy approaches systemic change using the following five pillars:

1. INTERNAL ACADEMY STAFF
2. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
3. ACADEMY MEMBERSHIP & PROGRAMMING
4. AWARDS
5. INDUSTRY AT LARGE

Internal Academy Staff

  • Revised our hiring policy to increase diversity at the Academy through equitable hiring practices and by targeting under-represented groups.
  • Foster inclusion and a safe working environment through initiatives such as anti-racism and unconscious bias training for all staff. The Academy aims to ensure staff feel comfortable and safe; bringing their “whole authentic selves” to work every day.
  • Launched an internal staff Equity Committee to spearhead initiatives and worked with Academy senior leadership team on inclusion opportunities and specific goals for equity and inclusion internally and throughout the media ecosystem.
  • Integrated essential certificate courses when onboarding Academy staff to create safer, more culturally-informed spaces such as PACT: Pledge-Activate-Cultivate-Thrive.

Accountability & Transparency: At our Annual General Meeting in 2020, the Academy committed to reporting on the diversity of our staff, including statistics on senior leadership to measure progress toward our diversity and inclusion goals.

2023-2024 Staff Statistics (National Office only)
Reported at the Annual General Meeting 2024

FULL TIME STAFF:

71% Female & Female-identifying

5% Non-binary

43% 2SLGBTQIA+

14% Black

0% Indigenous

52% Persons of Colour

19% Living with a disability

SENIOR MANAGER & ABOVE:

60% Female & female identifying

60% Persons of Colour

Board of Directors

  • Ensure that our Board of Directors represents a diversity of identities and perspectives from the industry.
  • Ensure the Board of Directors is aware of how the Academy’s actions can contribute to or inhibit positive change in the Canadian media sector.

Accountability & Transparency: At our Annual General meeting we commit to reporting on the diversity of our board each year.

Board Statistics, 2023-2024
Reported at the Annual General Meeting 2024

64.7% Female & female identifying

53% BIPOC

0% Living with a disability 

Academy Membership & Programming

  • Ensure that our programming platforms showcase voices that reflect the diversity of Canada and Canadian media.
  • Support our members in learning best practices to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion on set and in their own offices by offering training and resources.
  • Examine ways we may be excluding communities from our work, and explore how we can make our association a vibrant place of celebration and learning for people from all backgrounds.
  • Lead Talent Development Programs focused on supporting career advancement for screen professionals with diverse and underrepresented identities

Accountability & Transparency: At our Annual General meeting we commit to reporting on the diversity of our speakers for the year, reporting on make-up of our membership.

MEMBERSHIP

54% Female & female identifying

43% Male & male identifying

0.5% Non-binary

77.6% Cisgender / Heterosexual

5.5% Gay or Lesbian 

2.3% Bisexual

2.7% Queer

2.7% Pan-sexual 

75% White

7.3% Black

2% Indigenous

19.5% Persons of Colour

12.3% Identify as having a disability

 

Programming Representation, 2023-2024

As reported at the Annual General Meeting 2024

 51% of speakers were women, non-binary, or genderqueer

53% of speakers identified as BIPOC

18% of panelists were Black

11% of panelists were Indigenous

24% of panelists were people of colour

27% of panelists identified as 2SLGBTQIA+

7% of panelists identified as a person with a disability 

Awards

  • Examine how our practices around award eligibility, entry fees, and special award presentations can be more inclusive; our Indigenous Narrative Sovereignty Rule was adopted for the Canadian Screen Awards in 2021.
  • Account for how our own award productions can be more diverse behind the scenes, with the goal of modeling best practices for production through ongoing reviews.

Industry at Large

  • Equity & Inclusion Fund: Supports the diversification of traditional ‘talent/funding’ streams by promoting talented creatives from communities typically underrepresented in mainstream media and subsidizing Academy membership and entry fees.
  • Canadian Screen Award Eligibility: The Academy believes that all stories should be told authentically, and has put measures and stipulations in place to ensure that the work honoured by the Awards is created with integrity and respect.
  • Allyship: Be a strong and vocal ally by supporting the work of advocacy organizations and strengthening partnerships with a diverse range of community groups. The Academy is a proud signatory of the Canadian Screen Industry Statement of Values, created by the Black Screen Office.