Results of formal review of institutional equity, diversity and inclusion action plans

As an eligibility requirement of the program, all institutions with five or more chair allocations must develop and implement an institutional equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plan. This plan must guide institutional efforts for identifying and addressing systemic barriers to sustain the participation of and/or address the underrepresentation of individuals (based on the institution’s equity target gaps) from the four designated groups (women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities) among their chair allocations.

Plans must meet the program’s requirements.

Phase 1 and 2 review process

The plans were first submitted in December 2018. They were formally reviewed by an external panel of experts, using a two-phase process. In each phase, the panel gave every plan one of the following ratings: Exceeds, Fully Satisfies, Satisfies, Partially Satisfies, or Does Not Satisfy program requirements (see scale below). Institutions whose plans were rated Partially Satisfies or Does Not Satisfy in phase two had until November 30, 2020, to submit a revised plan for additional review by the panel.

As a consequence for those not meeting requirements in Phase 2, as indicated by a Partially Satisfies or Does not Satisfy rating in Table 1 below, these institutions were limited to submitting to the program only new nominations in which the individual self-identified as belonging to one or more of the four designated groups, until the institution’s plan was found, in Phase 3, to meet program requirements. Renewals could continue to be submitted.

Phase 3 review process

Plans submitted to the November 30, 2020, deadline were reviewed by the program to assess whether the external panel’s findings in Phase 2 had been satisfactorily addressed. Results of Phase 3 appear in Table 1 below.

Where plans were found to still not meet requirements, additional consequences have been imposed, in alignment with the program’s Consequences Framework. Institutions with a Partially Satisfies rating in Phase 3 will have the peer review decisions for all nominations submitted to the program (and, where applicable, their associated funding for chair awards) withheld, until their plan is resubmitted and found to meet the requirements.

Plans and their corresponding annual progress reports can be found on the institutions’ public accountability web pages.