Wine Growers Canada (WGC) is delighted to release its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Framework. WGC’s longstanding vision is to be ‘an inclusive, accessible, knowledgeable and responsive organization committed to sustainable domestic and international success for the Canadian wine industry’. This vision and WGC’s values are a driving force behind the creation of the DE&I Framework.
Diverse teams in the workplace create an environment in which there is a wider set of perspectives, thoughts and ideas. This is a fantastic value-add for business, providing them with fresh insights on tackling various business challenges and leveraging opportunities.
Kelly Brown, WGC’s first female Chair and Executive Vice President, Arterra Wines Canada, stated, “Through our Framework, WGC will encourage action on diversity, equity and inclusion across the Canadian wine industry. We want to provide leadership to build better employee experiences from our vineyards, to our wineries, to our offices and beyond. The theme of International Women’s Day 2021 is Choose to Challenge. With our Framework, we challenge all Canadian wineries to remove the barriers that get in the way of creating a diverse workplace, where all our employees can thrive and grow.”
The DE&I Framework commits WGC to take action on driving diversity, equity and inclusion within our own organizational structures, but also encourage it within the Canadian wine industry more broadly, through taking a leadership role. A permanent WGC DE&I Advisory Committee will be established, comprised of diverse individuals who work in all areas of the industry – from vineyard to winery – to advise on and recommend on-going diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and actions to be undertaken by WGC. WGC also commits to providing our membership with resources, to assist them in the implementation of inclusive practices in the workplace.
WGC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Framework (DE&I) can be viewed here.