Building a Nation that Values Diversity: Winners of "Canada's Best Diversity Employers" for 2015 Announced Today

TORONTO, March 31, 2015 /CNW/ - When you ask Canadians what "diversity" means to them, you are likely elicit a wide range of responses.  People have different views of what diversity means in practical terms, but there's one thing everyone can agree on: making people from diverse backgrounds feel at home has become a value that runs deep in the fabric of Canadian society.  Today, the winners of the annual Canada's Best Diversity Employers competition were announced, recognizing the organizations that do the most to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

"Promoting diversity and inclusiveness is one of Canada's defining values," says Kristina Leung, lead editor on the Canada's Best Diversity Employers competition and Senior Editor at Mediacorp Canada Inc., which manages the project. "Employers understand that they have an important role to play in making workplaces open to Canadians from a wide variety of backgrounds – and that their organizations are stronger when workplaces reflect the diversity of Canadian society."

Now entering its ninth year, the Canada's Best Diversity Employers competition recognizes the leading organizations when it comes to creating inclusive workplaces for employees from five diverse groups: women; visible minorities; persons with disabilities; Aboriginal peoples; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) peoples.  Employers are selected by the editors at Mediacorp based on submissions to the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers, now in its 16^th year.

"These employers make inclusiveness part of their organizational DNA," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers competition.  "They encourage employees to 'bring their whole self' to work, creating an environment where employees feel valued and welcome.  As Canadians, we often don't realize how much progress we have made toward an inclusive society, especially compared to many areas of the world, and these employers are showing the way."  

This year's winners were announced today in a special magazine published in The Globe and Mail.  Detailed reasons for selection were also released today at: http://www.canadastop100.com/diversity

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Tony Meehan, Publisher, Mediacorp Canada Inc., 416-964-6069 x9179