Recommendation 1: Leadership

• Establish an EDI lead in senior administration to work directly with the President’s Executive Team to advance EDI across UM. Working with the team of Vice-Presidents, the EDI Lead will ensure that EDI is integrated into all aspects of the institution including academic programs, research, administration, and community life. The EDI lead will need to work especially closely with the VP (Indigenous) to identify ways in which collaboration and coordination can occur between efforts to advance Indigenous achievement and engagement and EDI more broadly. The EDI lead will require an understanding of university governance and have the ability to work with and across all historically excluded groups. 
• The EDI lead should undertake a thorough review of existing structures, programs, positions, and offices that address EDI across the University to determine next steps for creating a structure that ensures leadership, coordination, accountability, and active engagement in advancing EDI across the entire institution. 
• Building on the findings of the review outlined above, establish an EDI Office to support the EDI 

Recommendation 2: Planning and policy

• Establish EDI as an institutional priority in the University’s new strategic plan with goals clearly articulated. 

Recommendation 1: Leadership

• Lead in providing strategic direction, addressing accessibility, directing and coordinating the work of central support units/positions engaged in activities to advance EDI across the institution, and supporting EDI work undertaken at the unit level. 
• Allocate ongoing resources through the centralized budget process to support the work of EDI. 
• Ensure that increasing diversity and a commitment to EDI are considerations in the hiring of all senior administrators at UM. Applicants for senior administrative roles should be required to submit an EDI statement. 
• Require new senior administrators to attend training on EDI as part of their on-boarding. 
• Require all administrators (including senior administrators, department heads, and administrators of administrative/support units) to engage in activities to increase their knowledge and skills to advance EDI. Require annual reporting on their activities to advance EDI within their units/areas of responsibility. 
• Ensure that all leaders of academic and administrative units appoint EDI leads to engage faculty, staff, and students in working towards the advancement of EDI within their units. This appointment should be a senior position with responsibility for advancing EDI within the unit. 
• Develop a course for administrators including EDI leads that addresses EDI leadership.

Recommendation 2: Planning and Policy

• Faculties and central administrative and support units should situate their EDI plans and priorities within the framework set by the University and integrate specific EDI goals and plans within their overall strategic plans. Specific action plans with measurable outcomes should be identified with annual reporting on progress. 
• Develop and implement a plan to evaluate key policies that address EDI (e.g., the newly revised RWLE Policy and Sexual Violence Policy) regarding the extent to which they are effective in promoting the principles of EDI and addressing discrimination. This review should inform the need for additional policies (e.g., an EDI policy, anti-racism policy) or revision to current policies (e.g., hiring policies) to ensure that UM’s commitment to EDI is clear and actionable. There should be a regular review of EDI-related policies in light of new research and evolving best practices. 
• Review hiring and advancement provisions in existing collective agreements and engage in discussion with unions about how agreements could better align with EDI goals. Include the advancement of EDI as an important element in the review/evaluation/approval process for of all policies and guidelines (including both University policies and unit-level guidelines).

Recommendation 3: Monitoring, Measuring Progress and Accountability

• Review current practice and policy regarding oversight, responsibility, and reporting on actions taken to address complaints of discrimination and harassment to ensure clarity of process, transparency, and accountability. 
• Allocate resources to the ongoing study of EDI within UM. This should include, but not be limited to, regular implementation of a climate survey that assesses experiences of inclusion among members of the community.

Recommendation 4: Increasing Diversity and Equity across UM

• Increase awareness of equity and its importance in increasing diversity, including the ways in which equity might be enhanced among students, staff, and faculty (e.g., equity admissions policies, targeted hiring, recruitment practices that encourage greater diversity among applicants, targeted funding to support members of marginalized populations, etc.). 
• Develop unit-level plans for advancing EDI among staff that include goals related to increasing diversity among staff, supporting EDI training for staff, and activities that create a greater sense of inclusion among staff. 
• Faculties should develop academic hiring plans that are informed by their assessment of the diversity (or lack thereof) of faculty members within their units. 
• Provide central support to assist hiring committees in developing processes that encourage diversity among applications (e.g., develop ads that avoid unnecessary requirements that exclude certain applicant groups, use active recruitment strategies that encourage application from members of historically under-represented groups, engage the assistance of firms with expertise in recruiting diverse applicants). 
• Develop and require that hiring committee members participate in training that addresses best practices to advance EDI in hiring. 
• Communicate the expectation that faculty and staff promote EDI in their work. EDI activities should be tracked in annual reporting of activities and discussed as part of performance evaluations. 
• Recognize efforts by faculty and staff to advance EDI as important service to the University. Administrators should be aware of service expectations related to EDI and the burden of service that may be placed on members of historically under-represented groups. Such contributions should be acknowledged and influence the extent to which other service or teaching is expected or assigned. The level of service expected of a faculty or staff member should be accurately reflected in their assignment of duties. 
• Assess commitment and contributions to promoting EDI in advancement processes (e.g., tenure, promotion) of faculty and staff.

Recommendation 5: Accessibility

• Report on current physical accessibility highlighting areas most accessible and those which are least accessible. 
• Provide central support and monitoring to ensure that all UM content (including the website, teaching materials, forms, and educational/training materials) is accessible.

Recommendation 6: Building Awareness and Support

• Create an inventory of workshops and resources available at UM to increase understanding of EDI. Such an inventory would support unit-level plans for increasing awareness and commitment to EDI and would assist individuals interested in learning more about EDI. Gaps in resources could be identified and addressed through new initiatives. 
• Offer education regarding equity and its importance in systemic change including ways in which equity can be addressed in meaningful ways in post-secondary institutions (e.g., through equity admissions policies, targeted hiring, awards that support members from historically marginalized groups, etc.). 
• Assign responsibility for promotion of EDI awareness at an institutional level to the EDI Office. This Office should also serve as a resource to academic and administrative/support units as they develop unit-specific educational initiatives. 
• Provide resources through the EDI Office to individual units for the development and implementation of new initiatives that increase awareness of EDI and create opportunities for engagement and dialogue regarding EDI among students, staff, and faculty. 
• Develop strategies and supports to engage those reluctant to accept EDI as a University priority.

Recommendation 7: Addressing EDI in Academic Programs, Teaching, and Research 

• Encourage units to assess ways in which content related to EDI is relevant and best addressed in their programs. Supports should be provided to units to facilitate such discussions within program curriculum committees with goals and plans developed in a collegial manner, implemented within academic programs, and monitored. 
• Require submissions for program and course introductions/revisions to indicate how EDI has been considered in the development of the proposal. 
• Provide funding for EDI teaching and learning projects (similar to the Indigenous Initiatives fund). 
• Consideration should be given to the sustainability of initiatives once proven effective. 
• Encourage instructors to incorporate EDI into their teaching. Faculty should be provided with the opportunity for advanced training so that they can bring more diverse content and readings into their courses. Resources need to be developed to support efforts to modify curricula/courses (e.g., a bank of EDI materials that are relevant for various topics/disciplines).
• Provide support for instructors to develop skills for addressing issues like systemic racism, sexism, ableism, discrimination based on sexual identity and/or orientation, ageism, etc. in the classroom.
• Include education for researchers on how to incorporate EDI into their research programs including addressing EDI considerations in research design and practices, data collection and analysis, trainee recruitment, and research team participation. 
• Include EDI considerations in the criteria used to award internal research funding. 
• Include instruction on how to incorporate EDI activities and goals in teaching and research dossiers, tenure and promotion applications, and annual performance reviews. For example, as part of developing a teaching or research dossier, faculty should be encouraged to incorporate statements about their values, beliefs, and goals for addressing EDI.

Recommendation 8: Promoting Inclusion and Safety

• Provide funds centrally and at the unit level to encourage and support events and ongoing activities specifically directed towards creating a sense of inclusion for all members of the community. 
• Request that academic and administrative/support units identify specific tactics aimed at building an inclusive environment as a component of their EDI plans. 
• Gather further feedback from students to identify and respond to areas where gaps in support for particular groups of students are experienced. 
• Explore the need for strategies that address other types of discrimination. 
• Establish processes and protocols for the approval of activities on campus that are controversial and experienced as offensive by some, recognizing the need to balance freedom of expression with the responsibility to provide a work and learning environment that does not harm individuals. 
• Develop a campus map that clearly identifies EDI related resources and safe spaces. 
• Recognize the diversity of faiths within our community and support students, staff, and faculty who wish to observe holidays within various traditions.

Recommendation 3: Monitoring, Measuring Progress, and Accountability

• Develop a process by which the University and academic and administrative/support units monitor and report on progress towards EDI goals that are identified in their respective strategic plans. Oversight of this process should be given by the EDI Lead with results shared with the President and the President’s Executive Team and reported to the UM community. 
• Improve the collection of data on the diversity of students, staff, and faculty. There are a number of issues to address to better benchmark diversity within the UM community and monitor change including the need to harmonize the collection of diversity data across students, staff, and faculty; review UM’s data systems to ensure the ability for more robust collection and updating of baseline diversity data; develop a comprehensive, multi-pronged plan for increasing participation in self-declaration; and develop a plan for ongoing analysis and reporting of diversity data. 
• Create central supports for the evaluation of EDI plans including assistance in developing evaluation criteria, identifying and collecting relevant data, data analysis, and reporting.

Recommendation 4: Increasing Diversity and Equity across UM

• Support faculties in analyzing the diversity of their students, setting goals for student diversity, and developing recruitment strategies and admissions policies that align with their goals.

Recommendation 5: Accessibility

• Allocate significant resources to increase the physical accessibility of UM and comply with the standards set out by the AMA. Physical inaccessibility exists relating to older structures that would not meet current building code guidelines and within areas that fall outside of current building code guidelines (e.g., lab and lecture room physical layout). 
• Guided by the results of the accessibility audit and completed in consultation with experts in accessibility, develop a multi-year plan for increasing physical accessibility across campuses. Annual reporting on progress should be required. 
• Create a central office to coordinate accessibility and accommodation. There is a need for coordination and consistency across UM to address accessibility and accommodation including, for example, support for individuals with disabilities when applying for positions, and expertise and resources to assist in the development and implementation of accommodations plans. The services offered by this office should work in collaboration with Physical Plant and build on the experience of, and be coordinated with, Student Accessibility Services

Recommendation 7: Addressing EDI in Academic Programs, Teaching, and Research

• Incorporate reporting and discussion of how faculty have addressed EDI in their teaching and research as part of their annual performance review.

Recommendation 8: Promoting Inclusion and Safety

• Develop an anti-racism strategy that encompasses prevention (including education) and processes to address racism when experienced. The extent to which the RWLE policy and procedure is effective in addressing racism must be evaluated. 
• Develop a plan to create more safe spaces on campus where members of under-represented groups can gather and connect with others who have a shared identity for support and dialogue. This will require engagement with various groups across campus to assess their specific needs. 
   

The system of oppression that disadvantages disabled people and advantages people who do not currently have disabilities. Like other forms of oppression, it functions on individual, institutional and cultural levels. Ableism is not solely about the experiences of disabled people as targets of discrimination, but rather about the interaction of institutional structures, cultural norms and individual beliefs and behaviours that together function to maintain the status quo and exclude people with disabilities from many areas of society.

Accessibility is the extent to which systems; environments; buildings; technology; goods and services; information and opportunities are available to as many people as possible. Accessibility is about identifying and removing barriers to ensure that everyone is considered from the outset.

Accommodation involves removing barriers that prevent full participation based on a protected characteristic under the Manitoba Human Rights Code. Accommodations that are reasonable do not cause undue hardship to the University and does not compromise bona fide and reasonable requirements of the University. 

An environment where people of all ages are respected, valued, and included. A culture in which perspectives and contributions of every age group are considered.

The World Health Organization defines ageism as stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or ourselves based on age. 

Strategies, theories, actions, and practices that actively challenge systems of oppression on an ongoing basis in one’s daily life through “change work”. Anti-Oppression work seeks to recognize the multiple forms of oppression that exist in society and works to mitigate negative effects with the goal of equalizing power imbalances within and across communities. Because oppression operates at different levels from individual to institutional, so does anti-oppression work.

Anti-racism is the active process of acting to challenge not only one’s own biases and prejudices, but involves actively engaging in the work of dismantling racism as a system of oppression and dismantling the policies, social relations, attitudes, practices that promote and/or sustain racial inequality.

A collective term to refer to individuals and communities subjected to racial marginalization and systemic racism. While this term originated in calls for solidarity between and across communities impacted by systemic racism and the specific histories of these experiences, widespread use of acronym without attention to difference led to criticism that BIPOC conflated difference. As such, this is no longer the preferred term and generally has been replaced with “Indigenous, Black and racially marginalized people”.

Those conditions that are generally incurable, are often caused by a complex interaction of factors, and usually have a prolonged clinical course (source: Max Rady College of Medicine).

Any condition, including mental health conditions, that is ongoing. It may be continuous or re-occur over a long period of time. Also see “episodic disability and chronic health conditions”. Chronic health terms, such as “condition”, “disease”, and “illness” are often used interchangeably in public, policy, and academic discourses, which contributes to confusion regarding appropriate language. Individual chronic health experiences, like disability experiences, are diverse. In addition, particular terms may be interpreted as promoting a medicalized perspective on chronic health, which does not adequately emphasize the disabling impact of systemic barriers that impede the full participation of those with disabilities and chronic health conditions in society. Accordingly, it is important to be aware of the difference between medical and social models of disability when discussing disability and chronic health, regardless of the exact language being used. Most importantly, terminology and language choices should reflect the preferences of individuals or specific communities.

An illness that persists for a long period of time.

Colonialism is the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country to exploit it economically. This often includes cultural and political dimensions of control, and it may include occupation with settlers. 

Decolonization is (1) the withdrawal of state control of a former colony that leaves the territory to be self-governed and independent; (2) a process through which colonial power and the privileges it has created are dismantled through reviewing policies, procedures and laws to remove inequities between the colonizer and the colonized. Decolonization requires colonizers recognize and accept the impact of historical and current colonial policies on the colonized and to choose to restore equity, autonomy and sovereignty.

Deficit ideology is a worldview that explains and justifies outcome inequities–such as poverty, unequal educational access and attainment, poor health, socio-economic standing — by ascribing the inequities to supposed deficiencies that are attributed to disenfranchised individuals and within systemically marginalized communities.

Some advocates within the Disability community embrace identity-first language that centers the disabled experience. Terminology and language should reflect the preferences of individuals or specific communities.

Diversity refers to all the ways that people differ, including characteristics, personal experiences, values and world views.

Is a proactive approach to achieving and sustaining substantive equality in the workplace. Employment equity law focuses on creating an equitable workforce by removing the barriers to substantive equality that can be reasonably foreseen or have been identified. Employment equity reflects Canadian constitutional and human rights case law. 

Employment equity groups are the aggregate groups of people identified as facing systemic barriers in employment, and at the federal level in Canadian named in the Employment Equity Act. The Federal Employment Equity Act Review Report (2024) recommends replacing “designated groups” with employment equity groups, and that employment equity groups include the existing four groups --Indigenous, Workers with Disabilities; Women; Racialized workers -- and consider adding Black workers and 2SLGBTQIA+ workers as employment equity groups.

Characterized by fluctuating periods and degrees of wellness and disability. The duration, frequency, and types of symptoms experienced during these periods may be unpredictable (source: Realize Canada).

Equity is the guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all students, faculty and staff, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of systemically marginalized groups.

Everyday racism is a concept conceived by sociologist Philomena Essed which refers to the “mundane” elements of everyday life that are typically not recognized because these manifestations of racism have become so normalized that they are typically not identified as racism. Everyday racism refers to tone, language, a gaze, forms of surveillance (in public spaces stores), differential treatment/service (being ignored in a store, denying the reality of a racially marginalized person or the expectation that one can speak for all members of a racialized group) and actions such as moving when an Indigenous, Black or racially marginalized student is seated beside a person on the bus or in the classroom. Everyday racism is multidimensional and its impact is cumulative.

Many understand evidence-based practice to be limited to peer reviewed research evidence. Yet, evidence-based practice can also be dynamic, including inquiry and decision-making processes that integrate the best available research evidence with local resources and participant voices within organizational and community contexts for the purpose of advancing equity goals.
Source: Adapted from Sullivan et al. (2022). Equity by Design: Promoting Socially Just Evidence-Based Practice. Equity Assistance Centre, Region III. Midwest & Plains Equity Assistance Centre.
 

Gender diversity acknowledges and respects gender identity and expression beyond a gender binary framework. Using the correct names and pronouns for gender diverse people, as well as gender neutral language are reasonable expectations that is inclusive to gender diverse people.

The way gender is presented and communicated to the world through clothing, speech, body language, hairstyle, voice and/or the emphasis or de-emphasis of body characteristics and behaviours.

A person’s internal and individual experience of gender. It is not necessarily visible to others and it may or may not align with what society expects based on assigned sex. A person’s relationship to their own gender is not always fixed and can change over time.

A cultural and social framework that assumes heterosexuality as the norm. Heteronormativity gives power and privilege to heterosexual persons, communities and beliefs.

Historical trauma is the cumulative emotional harm to an individual, generation or multiple generations caused by a traumatic experience or event.

Inclusion is the process of creating an environment in which any individual or group is welcomed, respected, supported and valued to fully participate in all the opportunities afforded by the university.

In Canada, Indigenous refers to people who identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit. Indigenous is commonly used instead of Aboriginal for three reasons. First, Indigenous is internationally recognized within the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Second, and more importantly, terms such as “Aboriginal” or “Indian” have distinct legal meanings, are considered an external colonized creation. Third, Indigenous comes from the Latin world “indigena,” which means “sprung from the land.” As such, Indigenous not only recognizes territory and land claims, but it connects Indigenous peoples to their land as distinct groups of peoples with unique histories, laws and rights, and whose fundamental identities are tied to their ancestral territories, lands, languages, cultures and traditions. 

Refers broadly to the inherent right of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples to define their own membership in accordance with their Nation or Community’s customs, traditions and laws, and which is deeply rooted in self-determination and community-specific criteria, rights and responsibilities. Indigenous Citizenship is often used as an inclusive term for membership, belonging or kinship, which designations may be preferred or applied in differing cultural, linguistic or geographical contexts. 

Refers to the voluntary and personal declaration of one's Indigenous ancestry, heritage, belonging, citizenship, membership, or kinship to a claimed First Nations, Métis, or Inuit Nation or Community. This declaration is an expression of who a person fundamentally understands themselves to be in relation to their claimed Indigenous Nation or Community. Indigenous Self-Identity does not always equate to Indigenous Citizenship.

Intersectionality is a term associated with critical legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw that refers to the ways that racism, racial discrimination, harassment, and vilification are frequently linked, shaped, and informed by other structural forms of oppression linked to sex, gender, class, disability, and sexuality. As Crenshaw states: “Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects.”  Applying Intersectionality disrupts frameworks by offering a lens to represent how different forms of inequality work together and aggravate each other, by describing how the various structures of power frame identities in ways that result in some people experiencing multiple oppressions and inequalities simultaneously. 

The process through which certain people are denied opportunities to become fully participating members of society and are pushed to the margins of the mainstream, including being prevented from finding work, attaining enhanced levels of education, or gaining access to social services. Marginalization can affect individuals based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, religion, or other identity markers. Marginalization particularly impacts those who experience multiple forms of oppression and discrimination.

Microaggression are everyday slights, insults, actions, verbal and non-verbal cues that message to target marginalized groups that they are not fully valued or trusted, do not belong, or are unwelcome. Microaggressions can be unintentional; but impact must be considered over intent. People experience microaggressions differently based on intersectional identities and power relations between individuals, within institutions, and in society. Microaggressions have a cumulative impact on individuals.

Misogyny means hatred of women. It takes multiple forms including male privilege, patriarchy, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, violence against women and gender diverse individuals and sexual objectification. Misogyny often operates intersectionally with other forms of oppression including various forms of racism, homo and transphobia, ableism and ageism.

The "person-first" language emphasizes the person before the disability. The United Nations defines persons with disabilities as those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

The unfair and unearned advantages one is granted in society just from having, or being perceived to have, elements of identity that align with norms deemed to be culturally superior according to societal rules and systems that dictate social hierarchies (Anti Oppression Network, 2013).

An umbrella term used to refer to or describe people who are not heterosexual or are not cisgender. Historically used in a pejorative sense, the term ‘queer’ has been reclaimed by 2SLGBTQIA+ activists. Queerness is unique to each individual and can encompass intersectional identities. "Queer” may also be used to refer to approaches that oppose heteronormative ways of thinking and being; and for queer theorists the term invokes the ongoing struggle and evolution of gender and sex categories. 

Race is one of the fundamental components of descriptive systems of difference in society (e.g., along with sex-gender, class, ability, and sexuality). At its inception, race was defined as a natural or biological difference, indicated by physical features such as skin colour, hair texture and other bodily features. Race became a key system of classification in European imperial and colonial domination to justify hierarchies of humanity.

There is a long history of asserting racial differences as natural and inevitable, as evidence of different levels of intelligence, ability, humanity, worth, and so on. Despite efforts to attribute differences between different groups to biological or genetic differences, science demonstrates that differences within different groups are greater than the differences between the so-called races. As such scholars and researchers recognize that race is a socio-historical and social construct that structures lived experience.  

Racial discrimination refers to behaviour that impedes and disadvantages people, by withholding benefits, opportunities due to their perceived race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, ethno-religious or national origin.

Racial equity is a process of eliminating racial disparities and improving outcomes for everyone. It is the intentional and continual practice of changing policies, practices, systems, and structures by prioritizing measurable change in the lives of people of colour (Raceforward.org).

“Race” refers to the invention of different subspecies of people based on physical and cultural characteristics such as skin colour, accent or manner of speech, name, clothing, diet, beliefs and practices, places of origin, etc. Racialization, then is “the process by which societies construct races as real, different and unequal in ways that matter to economic, political, and social life” (Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2005, p. 11). Recognizing race is a social construct, racialized identities replaced inaccurate and outdated terms such as ‘racial minority’, ‘visible minority’, or ‘non-White’.

Marginalization as the result of racialized identity and systemic racism. This term ensures that the dual processes of racialization and marginalization are recognized when referring to individuals or groups of people. It is currently the recommended term, replacing previously used terms including racial minority, visible minority, racialized person, or Person of Colour.

Ensuring that communities experience mutual benefit, ownership, and relational accountability, beyond basic remuneration, project resourcing, and following community protocols. Source: Working in Good Ways

Racism is the differential treatment of various human racial groups by a dominant racial group rooted in the belief of the superiority of one group over the other. Racism takes many forms, some of which include symbolic, embodied, psychological, institutional/systemic, everyday, and interpersonal. Racism is a deeply embedded historical system of institutional power that continues to operate regardless of the intentions of current actors unless intentionally interrupted. Racism differs from individual racial prejudice and racial discrimination in the historical accumulation and ongoing use of institutional power and authority to support prejudice and to systemically enforce discriminatory behaviours with far reaching effects. Racially marginalized people are denied access to social, economic, and political systems that regulate, define and control all aspects of their lives.

The practice of paying attention to our relationships and assessing their well-being. Relational assessment focuses on the health and quality of the relationships that underlie a partnership. Key principles for relational assessment shared by community partners and practitioners are: communicate to build trust; pay attention by visiting; nurture diverse relationships; grow and evolve relationships and assessments together. Source: Working in Good Ways

Building personal, whole relationships that precede, sustain, and outlive programs and formal partnerships, and which stem from a capacity and willingness to honour Indigenous relationality and engage in relational accountability. Source: Working in Good Ways

Religion-based racism is based on the racialization of religious communities, such that specific religious groups are considered a distinct race or ethnic group. It is an intersectional form of racism resulting in communities being targeted based on religious beliefs, but within frameworks of racism that may include eugenic arguments. Forms of religion-based racism include (but are not limited to): antisemitism, anti-Muslim racism, anti-Sikh racism. Religion-based racism is distinct from religious racism.

Generally refers to racial discrimination, logics, and beliefs rooted in specific religious traditions, texts, and practices and may include scripture-based justification for racial hierarchies or marginalization. Religious racism is distinct from religion-based racism.

Self-reflection, also known as “critical self-reflection”, is the process of examining and questioning our beliefs, assumptions, and experiences. We engage in critical self-reflection to better understand why we think and act in the ways that we do. It is often undertaken to identify biases we may personally hold, or biases we may encounter in the systems, policies, and processes we interact with in social, health, educational, employment, political, and other contexts that reinforce inequities and marginalization.

Sexism is as a system of oppression that results in disadvantaging women and girls, and non-binary individuals. It is an attitudinal-conceptual-cognitive-orientational complex of male supremacy, male chauvinism and misogyny.

Sexual identity is how people describe their sexuality, including how they define their identity in relation to the gender(s) to which they are attracted. Currently, “sexualities” is a community preferred term.

Statistics Canada describes sexual orientation as a multi-dimensional concept that includes, but is not limited to, sexual attraction and sexual behaviour. Similarly, the Government of British Columbia defines sexual orientation as a term that describes an individual’s pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction, which may stay the same or change over the course of one’s life (but is still not considered a choice). Currently, “sexualities” is a community preferred term.  

Distinct from sexual orientation and sexual identity, sexualities is broader and encompasses sexual behaviours, attractions, likes, dislikes, and values, for example. Recent commonly used language includes both “sexual orientation” and “sexual identity”. Currently, “sexualities” is a community preferred term. 

The United Nations defines social justice as an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. More broadly, social justice is the belief that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Social justice thus addresses inequities in distribution of privileges, opportunities, and wealth. 

Systemic/institutional racism refers to the arrangements and practices that maintain racial hierarchies and racial inequities. It includes policies, behaviours and practices that are part of the social, cultural or administrative elements of an organization and which produce or maintain positions of disadvantage for racialized individuals.

The process where societal structures disadvantage and marginalize certain groups of people, limiting their participation and opportunities. This often includes limited access to power and decision-making.

Systemically marginalized groups refer to those groups who experience systemic marginalization. In the context of employment equity, the groups may be referred to as employment equity groups. 

Systems of oppression are discriminatory institutions, structures, norms, and regularized practices embedded in the fabric of our society. In the context of social justice, oppression is discrimination against a social group that is backed by institutional power.  Societal institutions such as culture, government, education, etc. can all be complicit in the oppression of marginalized social groups while elevating dominant social groups.

Fear and/or hatred of any transgression of perceived gender norms, often exhibited by name- calling, bullying, exclusion, prejudice, discrimination or acts of violence—anyone who is trans and/or gender diverse (or perceived to be) can be the target of transphobia. While transphobia speaks more directly to the discrimination and violence faced by trans and gender diverse people, or those perceived to be, cissexism is the overarching order of societythat enables it. Like other forms of oppression, transphobia may show up in interactions between individuals or groups of people or it can be entrenched in an organization’s culture, rules, policies and practices that may look harmless on the surface but in fact exclude and create barriers and an overall hostile climate for some individuals (Egale.ca)

Two-spirit (also spelled 2-spirit or two-spirited) was coined by Myra Laramee in 1990. It refers to an Indigenous person who possesses both masculine and feminine spirits. It is also used by English-speaking communities on Turtle Island to distinguish the wide variety of Indigenous concepts of gender and sexual diversity as separate from the European gender binary.

Acronym that stands for two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and other minoritized sexual and gender identities. Used as an umbrella term to encompass a much wider range of identities and experiences related to sex, gender, and attraction that have been marginalized and minoritized by dominant norms of heterosexual and cisgender identities. This generally is the preferred term in Canada because it places two-spirit and Indigenous concepts of gender and sexual diversity first.

Visible and invisible disabilities, also known as apparent and non-apparent disabilities, are physical, mental, or neurological conditions that can limit a person’s movements, senses, or activities. Even though a person may experience a non-apparent disability, they may still experience barriers in their environment.

White fragility is the emotional discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial privilege or racial injustices.  Settler fragility is linked to white fragility, but not entirely the same. Settler fragility is the inability to talk about colonial injustice and unearned settler privilege, including living on land acquired through Indigenous dispossession.