Gathering strength from U.S. pushback on DEI

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/02/2025 (261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You couldn’t fault organizations like the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce if they felt a little disconcerted witnessing the recent spectacle of the pushback against DEI in the United States.

The chamber, which has institutionalized its commitment to diversity equity and inclusion (CODE) by joining a coalition and providing resources to its members, is certainly not backing down.

Case in point was its very well-attended luncheon event Thursday, featuring an address by Amoye Henry, whose Toronto-based organization, Pitch Better, champions diversity in entrepreneurialism.

Henry’s presentation included data advocates of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) have pointed to in the past: diverse companies are 35 per cent more likely to outperform industry medians; immigrant-owned businesses create 25 per cent of new jobs in Canada; women-led startups generate 78 cents per dollar invested compared to 31 cents for male-led startups.

Henry said the aggressive pendulum swing against DEI initiatives in the U.S. does not dissuade her from what she believes to be the value in diversity.

“That pushback inspires me to understand we need to go harder,” she said in an interview. “We need to invest stronger and understand that diversity, literally, drives the economy.”

While the headlines are dominated by high-profile companies like Disney seemingly cowed by pressure from the new U.S. administration, Henry said many are not backing down.

For every Amazon, Meta, Target and Walmart that have announced they are rolling back DEI initiatives, there are many who are not — though it is impossible not to notice it is the largest American corporate entities who do seem to be capitulating.

Henry points out one of her largest corporate partners, financial services company Accenture, is not stopping its DEI policies. There are others that have publicly recommitted, such as Costco, Johnson & Johnson and software giant Salesforce.

Henry believes the current “anti-woke” obsession in the U.S. is about retribution against everything the prior Democratic administrations of Joe Biden and Barack Obama stood for.

“I think there is some delusion, and it is not rooted in anything tangible,” she said. “It is not strategic.”

Loren Remillard, who has made the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce a champion of the CODE coalition across the country, believes the current anti-DEI trend in the U.S. may just be a moment of wrongheadedness.

“There are always ebbs and flows in society,” the chamber president said. “You are seeing this rise of a particular rigidity in the U.S. and the rise in far-right movements in Europe. But when we talk about DEI, let’s remember it is was not something imposed by government. It was something driven by the business community globally in response to where the market was.”

It’s not government-mandated affirmative action or quota systems, Remillard said. “The rationale for DEI remains,” he added. “It is a business imperative.”

While some may question the skyrocketing careers of some diversity professionals is it not also reasonable to also point out the generations of prejudice that held their ancestors back?

Remillard made the fundamental point businesses have long-maintained a major limit to growth was sourcing skilled workers and broadening the potential candidates is good for business.

“Fundamentally, we still hear many companies say that they continue to embrace DEI as a core principal because it makes their companies more productive, more profitable, more innovative,” he said.

The population beyond straight, white people will continue to be a commercial force to be reckoned with, so why not embrace them as team members, customers and targets of investment?

“They are still paying taxes, patronizing businesses, etc.,” Henry said. “Why would you ignore that segment of the population?”

Henry’s thesis is diversity entrepreneurs “are literally creating jobs, alleviating strains on the social services system and pouring back into the economy in tangible and meaningful ways. That’s why it is important not only to ignore the DEI pushback, but we should work harder to invest more strategically. We can see there is so much more potential when we invest.”

Neither Henry nor Remillard believe anti-American sentiments are productive. However, Henry said she is actively pursuing business opportunities in other places around the world.

At the least that’s a worthwhile enterprise while Canada’s largest, oldest and closest trading partner acts like a spoiled child who snatches the ball and goes sulking home.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca