2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada face significant barriers to employment and advancement in the workplace. It is estimated that between 5-12% of the Canadian population identifies as 2SLGBTQIA+, but are over represented in our country’s homeless population (25%). Without the supportive network of their families, many 2SLGBTQIA+ youth find it difficult to get their first job. The 2020 Trans Pulse Canada Survey showed that while 89% of trans people have at least some college or university education, about half make $30,000 per year or less.

For 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada to confront today’s economic challenges they need good jobs with rising incomes. Because of stigma, stereotypes, bias and discrimination against 2SLGBTQIA+ people, empowering community members with skills is simply not enough of a strategy. Pride at Work Canada operates as a member services agency for employers, offering institutional education and guidance to organizations that make a commitment to supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion. Many employers see the economic benefit to engage in market-facing messages of support for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, particularly during Pride season. While a welcome show of support, this alone does not create opportunity for 2SLGBTQIA+ people. In addition to supporting meaningful engagement with the public, we consistently underscore the importance of focused internal strategies to improve policies and practices that generate measurable outcomes for 2SLGBTQIA+ employees and job seekers, not just the company’s bottom line.

Pride at Work Canada was founded in 2008 by a group of dedicated volunteers who sought to put 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion on the agenda of Canada’s largest employers, starting with just 12 employer members. In 2014 Pride at Work Canada, with 35 employer members, refreshed its strategy, taking a new focus on evidence-based practices in workplace diversity and providing crucial support to people who have inclusion outcomes as a deliverable of their job. Since then the organization has experienced exponential growth and now boasts over 250 employer members and over 60 community partners. Twelve years after its founding as a volunteer-run group mostly focused on Toronto and Montréal, Pride at Work Canada now employs 15 people and runs volunteer working groups with dozens of members in Calgary, Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, St. John’s and Vancouver. We continue to learn every step of the way, celebrating the hard work of employers across Canada who work with us to build financial opportunity for 2SLGBTQIA+ people who are eager for the opportunity to prove themselves.