MONTREAL — The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) today announced its objectives and commitments for increasing diversity, equity and inclusion within its organization, which includes the creation of a new senior position responsible for NFB’s equity and anti-racist practices.
“We want to help eliminate decades of injustice and systemic racism in Canadian society, as well as within our institution. This is why this plan includes targets and concrete actions that will have an impact not only on our recruitment, productions and distribution methods, but on the entire culture of our organization,” said Claude Joli-Coeur, government film commissioner and NFB chairperson, in a press release.
“The end of racism and discrimination will not come in one day, but action is urgently needed. Measures for diversity, equity and inclusion are all the more crucial since across the country and around the world, racialized or underrepresented groups, and Indigenous communities, are rightly calling for concrete actions and much more transparency in the ways in which they are implemented,” he added.
Designed to increase participation by people from Indigenous, Black, racialized, LGBTQ2+ and disability communities, the NFB’s new diversity, equity and inclusion plan has been designed with input from many internal and external partners, says the press release. It was developed in addition to the objectives and actions in the NFB’s Indigenous Action Plan and its plan for gender parity, says the NFB.
A key step in the NFB’s plan is to appoint a director of diversity, equity and inclusion, who will be a member of the NFB’s executive committee, reporting directly to the commissioner, and will work with all NFB divisions to implement the plan’s commitments and goals, says the release.
NFB will also appoint a new director of Indigenous relations and community engagement, a position whose responsibilities will include forging ties with communities, improving Indigenous representation among NFB employees and advising the organization on issues related to the production and distribution of NFB works. This position will also report directly to the commissioner and will work closely with the NFB’s Indigenous advisory group.
“Across the NFB, hiring practices will be improved to ensure that by March 31, 2023, NFB staff fully reflect Canadian society,” reads the press release. “The NFB will ensure its directors general, directors, executive producers, and producers represent the diversity of Canada and always include individuals from underrepresented communities (Indigenous, Black, racialized, and LGBTQ2+, and people with disabilities). In order to reach this goal, at least half of all new hires will be drawn from people in these groups.
“The NFB will also prioritize recruitment (two out of three people) of individuals from underrepresented communities (Indigenous, Black, racialized, and LGBTQ2+, and people with disabilities) for all other management positions at the NFB as these positions open, until the NFB accurately reflects the composition of Canada’s population,” says the release.
The NFB also says it will take steps to ensure its programming equitably includes the voices of people from underrepresented communities, as well as ensuring these groups are represented within the NFB’s creation and innovation committees. The organization will also establish a respectful and transparent method of data collection to ensure its service contracts draw on a wide range of people and companies of diverse backgrounds, says the release.
In addition, in its distribution and marketing activities, the NFB will continue to highlight creators and promote works from diverse communities, and will also make films accessible by ensuring each new film includes described video and subtitles, says the NFB.
“The NFB is going to implement a governance structure for matters of diversity, equity and inclusion, including annual action plans with measurable targets,” says the release.
“Independent quarterly reports will be provided to the NFB’s executive committee and its board of trustees on issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion, unconscious bias and systemic racism at the NFB. There will be annual reports on these issues and the progress made, which will be shared with all staff and made available to the public.”
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