Diversity and Inclusion Statement

For more than 75 years, the Fulbright program has promoted diversity and inclusion in all of its programs. At Fulbright Canada, now entering our fourth decade, we have been steadfast in our commitment to diversity and inclusion and to the goal of advancing equality.

Canadians value an inclusive country, where equity is deeply embedded in the social fabric, and diversity is welcomed. Our identity is expressed in the shared values of openness, fairness, and tolerance.

In a statement to the House of Commons on 8 October 1971, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau announced multiculturalism as an official government policy. Multiculturalism was intended to preserve all individuals’ cultural integrity and provide recognition of the cultural contributions of diverse ethnic groups. Instigated by the Canadian federal government, multiculturalism as an ideology emphasizes the social importance of immigration. This commitment has subsequently been broadened to include the rights and freedoms to all persons, and, most significantly, those from underrepresented populations.

Fulbright Canada is committed to these values and to the principles and practices that flow from them. All of our practices relating to recruitment, grantee support, alumni relations, partnerships, hiring, and operations conform to these values and are reflected in the commitments listed below. Diversity has many forms, including, but not limited to, identity, thought, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, language, and socio-economic realities.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion requires that we continually and critically examine our past, current practices, and future actions. Fulbright Canada is fully committed to transparency and openness and has created an avenue for everyone to reach out for support and offer feedback. Our goal is to ensure that everyone in the Fulbright Canada community has the opportunity to be heard.

Fulbright Canada is unequivocally committed to the following principles and practices:

• We are committed to undertaking recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes that encourage, engage, and support persons from underrepresented populations, and, in particular, persons who might otherwise be disadvantaged.

• We are committed to doing all that we can to understand and appreciate the diversity that defines our two countries and to appreciate the lived experiences of applicants, grantees, alumni, and partners.

• We believe that colleges and universities are significantly enhanced by a steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion and fully support their efforts to do so.

• We are committed to supporting all of our partners as they develop and implement their strategies concerning diversity, inclusion, and equity.

• We fully support their efforts to engage their students, faculty, administrators, staff, and the local community to achieve a higher standard when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

• We are committed to establishing, implementing, and refining our policies and practices concerning employment, office protocols, board membership, and partnership development that aligns with our broader commitment to inclusion and diversity. This includes, among other things, policies that ensure that both access and opportunity are explicitly aligned to our core values and that they specifically allow for opportunities for underrepresented populations.

• We are committed to our core mission, which is to promote mutual understanding in a manner that reflects the complex environment which defines our two societies.

• We are committed to offering programs that are open to all citizens of Canada and the United States, regardless of their race, color, sex, age, religion, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and we enthusiastically and actively encourage those from traditionally underrepresented communities to engage.

• We are committed to undertake these obligations, while, at the same time, remaining loyal to the advancement of knowledge, our strategy to promote and encourage civic engagement, and our underlying mission to use the vehicle of educational exchange to support and engage future leaders, regardless of their background.

• We are committed to providing a means for grantees, partners, and others to safely share their thoughts and views.