Ontario Chamber Marks International Women’s Day by Signing onto the 50-30 Challenge

(Toronto – March 8, 2022) – To mark International Women’s Day 2022, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) is reaffirming its commitment to creating inclusive workplaces by signing onto the Government of Canada’s 50-30 Challenge:

“We are proud to sign onto the 50-30 Challenge. As the indispensable partner of business, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to breaking down barriers to create more inclusive workplaces and labour market participation,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “We are proud that our board has both gender parity and significant representation from equity-seeking groups. We believe supporting inclusive workplaces is both a moral imperative and results in better performance and outcomes.”

The theme of International Women’s Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. The OCC has long championed breaking down barriers through its services, programs, events, and advocacy.

“I am happy to welcome the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to the 50 – 30 Challenge,” said the Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “Corporate Canada should look like Canada. Ensuring that women and underrepresented voices across Canada are at the decision-making table is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. It’s great to see the almost 1,500 organizations who have committed to this important initiative and I am looking forward to seeing this challenge grow and become the new standard for organizations across Canada.”

The goal of the 50-30 Challenge is to increase the representation and inclusion of equity deserving groups within workplaces and in leadership roles, while highlighting the benefits of giving all Canadians a seat at the table. Read more about the 50-30 Challenge here.

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About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce

For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan, indispensable partner of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.

For more information, please contact:

Michelle Eaton
Vice President, Public Affairs
michelleeaton@occ.ca| Mobile: (647) 261-4594