OTTAWA – During International Women’s Day celebrations today (March 8), Mayor Jim Watson and Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, city council’s Liaison for Women and Gender Equity, announced the signing of Electricity Human Resources Canada’s (EHRC) Leadership Accord on Gender Diversity.

“The signing of the accord demonstrates the City of Ottawa’s public commitment to promoting gender diversity and equity within the corporation,” city staff released in a statement today.

Developed and launched by EHRC in 2017, the accord proposes united action by employers, educators, unions and governments to expand the breadth and depth of the skilled workforce. These actions are designed to ensure women are informed of the opportunities available in the sector of their choice and, once employed, are fully supported and provided with equal opportunities to grow and develop to their full potential.

 “The Leadership Accord on Gender Diversity is an opportunity for the City of Ottawa to affirm its commitment to gender diversity and equity in the workplace,” Kavanagh said. “We are pleased to mark International Women’s Day with a further step in our organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion journey.”

As the national capital of Canada, the City of Ottawa is proud to be a leader in gender diversity and employment practices. The accord is another step in the city’s commitment to fostering a gender-equitable workplace. This builds on other initiatives, including the implementation of the city’s Women and Gender Equity Strategy (WGES) developed to ensure the City of Ottawa’s services, strategies and plans integrate a women and gender lens and promote women and gender equity. The WGES includes a systematic framework that sets corporate and departmental goals and defines commitments of women and gender equity for Phase One of its implementation in 2021-2022.

“Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion is an important focus of the City of Ottawa,” Watson said. “I am proud to have signed the Electricity Human Resources Canada Leadership Accord on Gender Diversity to demonstrate our commitment to promoting gender diversity and equity within our organization and building a workforce that is truly representative of Canada’s people.”