Please see, https://keepinganeyeonedi.ca/2024/05/20/about-edi-concepts-in-canadian-universities-series-a-through-e/

The following are seed references for annotated bibliographies. Another researcher might pick up where I leave off.

Bibliographer’s Comments are in red font.

Quotes are in back font or preformatted boxes.

Series C:

Part 1, Branding and Reputation Signalling

Mount Royal University (1 of 3)

Our Brand

Regarding the “entrepreneurial mindset”, recall that Mount Royal is an Ashoka Campus: 

"To advance our vision and support our brand pillars, we employ six student-focused strategies: - encouraging research, scholarship and community engagement ...

-   Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset enables students to start their own ventures, and makes them invaluable employees of startups and established organizations."

What is meant by the “wellness of body, mind and spirit”? Is this a university or a spa? (See the Ashoka link above.) One issue that bothers me is this kind of EDI-related focus on “spirituality.” Some argue that spirituality is not organised religion, but if you institutionalise spirituality — make it foundational to a university — you’ve now an organised religion. Universities have returned to their theological roots. 

"fostering a sense of belonging on campus (a welcoming place to learn, connect, live and grow)

-  We value our safe, respectful and inclusive campus community.
-  Our culture, along with many services, encourages the wellness of body, mind and spirit among students, employees and community members.
-  Campus recreation encourages healthy and active lifestyle options for everyone. 
-  Cougar Athletics creates competitive athletics and boosts school spirit for athletes, the campus and Calgarians to enjoy.
-  On-campus residences provide a safe, secure and supportive place to live and learn. 
-  Ways to get involved on campus include clubs, peer programs, jobs and volunteer opportunities."

Mount Royal University (2 of 3)

Our Logo: The brand signature

So, how does corporate branding and decolonisation go together? “Office of Indigenization and Decolonization at MRU,” https://www.mtroyal.ca/IndigenousMountRoyal/office-of-Indigenization-and-decolonization/index.htm, accessed 23 May 2024 

The brand signature

Consistently and compellingly telling the Mount Royal story goes beyond the words we use. It also requires using a consistent look and feel. Mount Royal's logo reflects our direction as a university as well as our proud history. It is rich in symbolism and tradition and has been internationally recognized.

It is important for us to consistently and correctly present our logo in all of our marketing and communications. Each piece we create - whether written or visual, printed or electronic - makes a statement about who we are. For this reason, basic rules for proper use and consistent design have been developed to maintain the integrity of our logo.

Please review Mount Royal University's guidelines which provide information to maintain consistency including proper logo use, corporate fonts and colours:

Mount Royal University (3 of 3)

Marketing & Communications

So is “belonging” a brand concept or some tangible sense of well-being? The two ideas get conflated in EDI-talk. 

"As part of University Advancement, the Marketing and Communications teams advance the Mount Royal University’s reputation and profile based on the brand pillars of providing personalized learning; being outcome focused and community responsive, and delivering quality teaching.

... Focusing on audiences with the You Belong Here campaign

While we connect with many people, our focus is on students, employees, donors, alumni and the community as a whole. The You Belong Here brand concept demonstrates that Mount Royal is an inclusive and tight-knit community that will prepare you for your future."

Ashoka

Ashoka is part and parcel with Reputation Signalling and Corporatisation.

University of Calgary (1 o 2)

The UCalgary Brand

Whenever you see “Changemakers,” look for Ashoka. See, above.

We are the entrepreneurial university. A community of innovators, disruptors and changemakers.

University of Calgary (2 of 2)

Our brand

Our brand

UCalgary is where you come to start something.


At the University of Calgary, we strive to cultivate an environment that fosters innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking. Our mission is to empower a community of forward-thinking individuals who are committed to pushing boundaries and creating positive change in the world.

Reputation Signalling: Canadian Universities

I have not updated the links in the following post:

Part 2, Corporatisation

Since I have just over 24 hours before I stop adding content to this site, I’m not going to add information you can readily search yourself. You’ll find numerous articles on Canadian Universities and Corporatisation.

Here’s an important piece of information as context for the remainder of this post:

Annual equity, diversity and inclusion progress report

... Institutions are required to report annually to the program using the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Progress Report, and publicly on their public accountability and transparency webpages, on the progress made in implementing their action plans and meeting their equity and diversity targets and objectives...

Establishing equity targets

Institutions must establish equity targets to ensure that individuals who often face systemic barriers in employment (women and gender minorities, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and racialized minorities) participate in the program. The program monitors the institutions’ progress toward meeting their established targets. Institutions’ failure to participate in the target-setting exercise will result in the suspension of payments. See the target-setting method for more information.

The following two entries, taken together, make a case that EDI & corporatisation are apiece.

This first entry is from the body of an email I’d sent to some friends, so it’s pretty casual.

MY PERSONAL EMAIL TO FRIENDS, Sept. 21, 2022

RE: CCCG and BILL C25

— START EMAIL —

“Dear [My friends],

Please recall my questions concerning Bill C25 and UTAM.

Just in case you’re not familiar with the CCGG (I wasn’t):https://ccgg.ca

[Addendum 23 May 2024: CCGG, Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, “WHO WE ARE,” https://ccgg.ca]

From its website:

"The Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG) is the pre-eminent corporate governance organization in Canada uniquely positioned to effect change as the voice of institutional shareholders that invest in Canadian public equities."

I discovered that among the CCGG members are the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (UTAM) and York University.

[Addendum 23 May 2024: University of Toronto. UTAM, University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation, “About,” https://www.utam.utoronto.ca/about-us/. And, York University. “Sustainable Investing,” Finance, YorkU, https://www.yorku.ca/finance/sustainable-investing/]

Is it possible that the UTAM helps explain some of U of T’s aggressive diversity agenda? Here’s a little more to the story.

I’ve attached a 2016 (maybe 2017) PDF entitled, “At a brief to the Standing Committee on Banking,Trade and Commerce: Bill C-25(42-1)…remarks at the Shareholder Rights Conference at the University of Toronto, On.”

https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/421/BANC/Briefs/BANC_CCGG_e.PDF, reaccessed 23 May 2024

[Addendum 23 May 2024: I had some difficulty reaccessing this brief. You can try the link above, but I’ve decided to include the entire brief at the end of this post to ensure researchers have access.]

Pages 4-6, articles 18-28 concern Diversity-related disclosure. 

Excerpts: 

18. ""CCGG also supports the proposed amendments in Bill C-25 concerning diversity-related disclosure, both for gender and forms of diversity other than gender. CCGG has publicly made statements in favour of diversity for many years, " (p4)
And, "22. While the above research indicates that diversity is good for the bottom line, such a finding is not necessary to support diversity initiatives. The pursuit of diversity through disclosure requirements and other measures is, if properly executed, a response to demonstrated implicit bias. When companies achieve a level of diversity among their leadership that reflects the communities in which those companies operate, it signals an awareness of and response to such implicit bias which, in turn, fosters confidence in the capital markets." (p 5)

Addenudum 23 May 2024, Re the unwarranted confidence: “demonstrated implicit bias…such impilicit bias,” See, https://keepinganeyeonedi.ca/2023/08/25/series-a-edi-concepts-in-canadian-universities-part-1-of-5-unconscious-implicit-bias/

Note: “Diversity is good for the bottom line” is often associated with the Diversity Institute (DI), Ted Rogers School of Management, at TMU (Ryerson). “

"The facts speak for themselves, inclusion is good for society and good for the bottom line:"

[Addendum 23 May 2024, Diversity Institute, Ted Rogers School of Management,  https://www.torontomu.ca/diversity/ ]

Wendy Cukier, the DI’s founder and academic director, lobbied for the diversity information disclosure provision in Bill C-25 (my next email, and where I’ll point out a worry for academic freedom).

I find it interesting that the timing of the diversity information disclosure provision in Bill C-25 (2018) and the CRC EDI action plans mandated in 2019 correspond pretty closely. I have to back read a bit, but I believe I can make a plausible connection between the two. 

Lastly, I attach a screen shot of the CCGG’s Twitter account. Note the “comply or explain” [publicly explain why you haven’t] diversity information provision in Bill C-25 is also now required for companies to be listed on Nasdaq.”

— END EMAIL —

Brief Concerning: Bill C-25, Canada Business Corporations Act

The following entry is a 2017 brief made by Wendy Cukier of The Diversity Institute, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). Signatories to the brief are found on page 5.

[The House of Commons, Government of Canada: Parliament of Canada. “Welcome to the House of Commons,” House of Commons Chambre Des Communes, https://www.ourcommons.ca/en, accessed 23 May 2024]

Bill C-25 is very timely. Two dimension of the legislation which are particularly welcome are 1) the introduction of term limits for directors, which will create additional opportunities to bring in fresh thinking and diversity and 2) the introduction of diversity tracking and reporting requirements. (p 1)

[Regarding the next excerpt, I leave you to your own research for counter-evidence to the business case for diversity, such as: Georgeac, Oriane AM, and Aneeta Rattan. “The business case for diversity backfires: Detrimental effects of organizations’ instrumental diversity rhetoric for underrepresented group members’ sense of belonging.” Journal of personality and social psychology 124.1 (2023): 69, https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-pspi0000394.pdf, accessed 23 May 2024 I have not read this paper. It’s published five years after the brief. But the Diversity Institute still promotes the business case. Other models include the fairness case, and the no-need-to-make-a-case case.] 

Our research, over 20 years, has confirmed the “business case” for diversity and inclusion and the need for additional measures to drive corporate action. [p 1]
Recommendations 

Specifically, we wish to comment on the clauses which address diversity and to take this opportunity to offer some suggestions. Policies and laws signal as well as reflect values and no one should underestimate the value of C-25 in signaling to the world our values and commitment to inclusion.

...First, we support, as a first step, comply or explain legislation.

... We take to heart the Minister’s commitment: “We want to send a clear signal that diversity is important...But in a few years, if we do not see meaningful results – then we will re-evaluate our position and look at all other options at that time.”

... Second, while groups across the country have advocated strongly for increased gender diversity, we maintain, respectfully that this is necessary but insufficient. We will not create an inclusive Canada if we simply replace white men with white women. 
... Third, in addition to reporting on the statistics regarding diversity on the board and in senior management positions, we would recommend, as with the Employment Equity Legislation that corporations be asked to define targets and outline their strategy for increasing diversity. 

Suggested Amendments to the Legislation

We propose therefore, an amendment to make explicit that that information will be published annually. We understand that this requires resources, but we view it as critically important. Therefore we propose a small amendment to the Act to clarify the intent to make the information publically available:

172.1 (1) The directors of a prescribed corporation shall place before the shareholders, at every annual meeting, the prescribed information respecting diversity among the directors and among the members of senior management as well as a report on the corporation’s diversity goals and strategy as defined by regulation.

(2) The corporation shall send the information referred to in subsection (1), along with the notice referred to in subsection 135(1), to each shareholder, except to a shareholder who has informed the corporation in writing that they do not want to receive that information. The corporation shall concurrently send the information to the Director and it will be published on an annual basis. (3)

Two Briefs to The House of Commons (from previous two entries):

BANC_CCGG_eDownload
DiversityInstituteAtRyersonUniversity-eDownload