Media Release
Ontario Chamber: Supplier Diversity Has Economic and Social Benefits
April 13, 2021(Toronto, Tuesday, April 13, 2021) – Today, Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement in support of the Ontario NDP’s Private Member’s Bill, the Supply Chain Management Amendment Act (Provincial Diverse Vendor Strategy), 202.
“There is both economic and social value in making our supply chains more diverse and inclusive. We are proud to support the Private Member’s Bill introduced today by Ontario NDP Critic for Finance and Treasury Board, Catherine Fife. The Act seeks to recognize and promote the importance of diversity amongst government vendors.
“As the largest customers in the economy, governments have tremendous power to incentivize suppliers. Currently, Ontario’s public-sector request for proposal processes are driven almost entirely by short-term cost considerations.
“Both the Governments of Ontario and Canada should adjust their procurement processes to expand opportunities for diverse businesses and suppliers that champion diversity. Changing the incentive structures is the most powerful way to change outcomes.
“Supplier diversity has been shown to increase innovation, reduce risk, and open new opportunities for economic development. This is an important issue for the OCC and that is why we hosted our inaugural Business Diversity Expo last year where we showcased companies owned and operated by diverse-represented groups to meet with supply chain leaders from large private sector, public sector and academic institutions. We also underscore the importance of supplier diversity in our recent report, The She-Covery Project: Confronting the Gendered Economic Impacts of COVID-19 in Ontario.
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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:
Ceara Copps – Edwards
Manager, Public Affairs
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
cearacoppsedwards@occ.ca | 647-936-6734.