The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) has launched a new document aimed at encouraging gender diversity and inclusion amongst junior exploration and mining companies.
Announced on June 17, the Gender Diversity and Inclusion Guidance is a multi-page document with practical strategies on boosting inclusivity and diversity in both the companies and the communities with which they engage.
“There is often an assumption that improving gender diversity and inclusion is a resource-intensive pursuit,” said PDAC’s executive director, Lisa McDonald, in a news release.
“This guidance document challenges that assumption and demonstrates how small actions can have a tremendous impact on diversity and inclusion.”
PDAC notes that, although the mining sector employs roughly 630,000 workers in Canada, only 17 per cent is comprised of women.
As such, the organization has made gender diversity in Canada’s minerals industry a top strategic priority and suggests that “companies of all sizes can take key actions to alter business practices and processes that address these inequalities.”
The Gender Diversity and Inclusion Guidance will now be included in PDAC’s Plus Social Responsibility Toolkit and is available as a standalone document on the organization’s website.
The group said the guidance is the first step in its commitment to improve diversity and inclusion in the mineral exploration and mining community.
The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development community. With more than 7,500 members around the world, PDAC’s work centres on supporting a competitive, responsible mineral sector.
