CIC BOARD POLICY ON DIVERSITY 

Approved January 29, 2019 

Diversity is a principal criterion to be applied in the selection of those individuals best qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of CIC board membership. 

1. Board diversity is vital to the relevance and effectiveness of the CIC. Diversity broadens the Board’s perspectives, enhances its credibility, and enables it to make better decisions. A diverse board membership will also have links to different kinds of communities in Canada, which will inform the CIC’s programming and magnify its impact. Moreover, if the CIC reflects and responds to Canada’s diverse make-up there is a much greater likelihood that the organization will capture the attention of citizens and encourage them to participate in international affairs.
   
   
2. There are many attributes of diversity, which reflects the diversity of Canada itself. In selecting new members of the Board varying weights will be placed on these attributes, to the extent that they can be ascertained without breaching ethical principles or legal rules, and depending on how the Board assesses its needs at that time. 
3. Attributes of diversity that should influence the selection of new board members include, but are not limited to: age, disability, ethnicity, gender, immigrant or refugee status, language, political affiliation, race,  region (of Canada), religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
    
4. The Board’s efforts to make its membership more diverse will be an integral part of its efforts to strengthen the CIC’s governance.  Candidates will be evaluated on their judgement, skills, expertise, ability to participate meaningfully in the CIC’s work and, at the same time, their capacity to contribute to the diversity of perspectives needed to most effectively govern the organization.
   
   
5. In order to implement this policy, the Board will take deliberate measures to ensure that any search for new directors includes the identification of a broad range of qualified candidates. 
6. The Governance Committee will monitor the carrying out of this policy and will periodically advise the Board on needs and opportunities to strengthen its diversity.