Developments In Gender Diversity On Canadian Boards

In 2014, certain Canadian provinces joined the universe of other jurisdictions with a specific regulatory regime to attempt to improve the representation of women on corporate boards. In this article, we review the disclosure requirements implemented by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) and other Canadian securities regulators in 2014, discuss how the issue of board diversity has evolved in Canada since then, and identify some of the main themes that continue to emerge as part of the larger debate about board renewal. While there are differing views on these issues, it is clear that the representation of women on the boards is a multi-faceted and evolving issue: despite some progress to date, the research indicates that corporate Canada continues to lose women at high rates and that the representation of women on Canadian public company boards continues to lag behind other developed nations^[i]. The resounding consensus from the Canadian Securities Administrators