Love for organizations that adhere to their values when challenged

It’s been three weeks since Mark Carney undid decades of progress by eliminating the minister for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) and the minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities (DIPD). Is this temporary or a sign of how he’ll run the country if elected? Either way, it’s frustrating and frightening that gender, DEI, and disability rights are on the bargaining table and that eliminating these ministers is an election tactic that the Liberals see as increasing their chances of winning the upcoming election.

A letter signed by 293 Canadian organizations calling on Carney to reinstate WAGE eloquently expresses what I feel about the elimination of the WAGE minister.

“Gender equality is not an afterthought; it is the backbone of a strong economy and resilient society,” the letter states. “Gender equality demands dedicated leadership, accountability, and sustained attention—none of which can be adequately achieved when it is treated as an afterthought within a larger, unrelated ministry.”

We should be equally fighting for the reinstatement of the DIPD minister.

“This is a time where a renewal of support is needed as the most vulnerable and oppressed groups in our society are living in fear due to the political uncertainty surrounding them,” says a statement by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO). “With the levels of discrimination and restriction of equality rights in the United States and globally, Canada must support and promote the rights of women and all [equity deserving] groups.”

These examples give me hope after seeing mega-corporations like Google, Amazon, Adobe, Walmart, Target, McDonald’s, and Pepsi surrender to rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the United States.

As communicators, we are responsible for using the organization’s voice to demonstrate its values. We’re not, however, responsible for determining what those values are. Is there a way to help organizations act on the values they ask us to advertise? Can we nudge them to follow in the footsteps of companies that stand up when the going gets tough? In my imperfect experience, it’s easier said than done, but it’s worth the discomfort.