LIST OF PANELS

Canada has a vision of inclusive economic growth that recognizes that innovation is driven by its diverse people. The importance of using a gender and diversity lens for inclusive economy is evident in the recent efforts made by federal, provincial and local governments as well as policymakers, program providers (e.g. OCAD University, University of Regina) and advocacy groups in Canada (e.g. CBoC, SheEO, Women of Influence), including increased funding opportunities and services directed towards women and diverse groups.

The 50 – 30 Challenge, for example, a unique initiative by the Government of Canada, started in December 2020 with the goal of implementing gender parity (50% women and/or non-binary people) among the board members and/or in senior management; and achieve significant representation (30%) of other disadvantaged and underrepresented groups (including racialized people, Indigenous Peoples, people identifying as 2SLGBTQ+, and persons with disabilities) on boards and in senior management positions within the member organizations participating in this initiative. Canada also launched the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES), an over $6 billion strategy to “increase women-owned businesses’ access to the financing, talent, networks, and expertise they need to start up, scale up, and access new markets.” 

We view the inclusive innovation ecosystem as a set of interdependent actors and factors coordinated in such a way that they enable productive economic activities within a particular territory. The processes of activities and interactions across the societal, organizational, and individual levels in the ecosystem often create opportunities for innovation. The proposed panel will discuss how public policies, such as the 50 – 30 Challenge and WES are having impacts on inclusive economic growth. Specifically, the objectives of the panel are to understand the existing gaps and challenges faced by stakeholders, including both individuals and organizations, in the ecosystem when implementing EDI-related challenges, their strategies to overcome such barriers and gaps, policy impacts on equity in labour force and work,  equal access and success in entrepreneurship,  and implication for future policy development and delivery to advance the inclusive innovation ecosystem.

The Chairs of the panel are expecting high-quality and evidence-based research that answers at least one of the two main research questions. There are a variety of possible papers that researchers can submit as a response. Research questions are organized under the two main research questions:

1. What are the existing gaps and challenges faced by the participant organizations while implementing the 50-30 challenge?
- What is the representation of women and other equity-deserving groups in leadership roles?
- What is the representation of intersectional groups in leadership roles in Canada?
- What programs could lead to inclusion of women or other equity-deserving groups in the leadership roles in the ecosystem?

2. What are the policy impacts on the inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Canada?
- What barriers exist to entry in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, particularly for women and intersectional groups? What kind of barriers currently exist, and how might these barriers translate into barriers for the economy?
- What policies (at municipal, provincial/state, or federal/national levels) might lead to a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem?
- What kind of programs could lead to inclusion of women or equity-deserving groups?