The City of Montreal's executive committee has approved the city's first Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and Anti-Racism Policy. This initiative is part of the City's commitment to strengthening its human rights commitments, combating systemic and organizational barriers, and promoting an organizational culture that reflects Montreal's diversity.
In doing so, Montreal is reaffirming its desire to be a leader in transforming institutional practices. This new policy will apply to all City departments and boroughs and will provide a framework for continuously improving internal practices, combating all forms of racism and discrimination, and ensuring that the City's commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion are sustainable.
This policy will focus on five priority areas of action:
- Create a fair and inclusive administrative culture: by ensuring that municipal workplaces are free from racism and discrimination.
- Guarantee urban safety without profiling: by strengthening public service practices for fair and respectful interventions.
- Promote cultural equity: by supporting diversity in cultural development and taking into account territorial realities.
- Strengthen territorial and economic equity: by ensuring the equitable distribution of resources, services, and infrastructure throughout the territory.
- Promote inclusive public participation: so that the City's projects and decisions reflect the needs and aspirations of all communities, particularly in a process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
This policy will be implemented through various tools that concretely integrate the principles of equity into the city's daily actions, such as the equal access to employment program, the city's EDI strategic plan, equity, diversity, and inclusion plans, the municipal universal accessibility plan, and the reconciliation strategy with Indigenous peoples.
“The adoption of this policy is a strong statement of our commitment to a fairer, more inclusive, and more humane city. Montreal is rich in its diversity, and we have a duty to ensure that everyone can live fully, with respect and dignity,” said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
"This policy sets a clear path toward a sustainable transformation of our practices. It reminds us that equity, diversity, and inclusion are not secondary objectives, but fundamental principles that must guide each of our decisions. This is how we will build the Montreal of tomorrow, reflecting all those who live here. By adopting this policy, we are affirming that equity, diversity, and inclusion are not intentions, but obligations. " said Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, head of human resources and the fight against racism and systemic discrimination on the City of Montreal's executive committee.
To view the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and Anti-Racism Policy, click here.
SOURCE City of Montreal - Office of the Mayor and Executive Committee
