Equity, Diversity and
Inclusion in the
Cultural Sector:

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) and its Diversity Committee prepared the 2021 WGC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Report that includes data up until December 31, 2020. The definition of diversity used in the report was established by the WGC’s Council and Diversity Committee and includes the following groups: Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Queer People, and People with Disabilities.

The report shows encouraging improvement in terms of equity, diversity, and inclusion in Canadian TV. For example, 34% of new members that joined the Guild were diverse. The growth was largely driven by people of color and black writers. However, a minority group that is underrepresented in many film and TV categories includes people with disabilities. In 2020, none of the new members joining the Guild self-identified as a person with a disability. Also, the participation of indigenous writers decreased significantly in 2020. The share of working indigenous writers decreased to 1% from 4% the year prior. This data generates insights for better programs and initiatives.

Some impacts of the data generated from the report to the Writers Guild of Canada include a better understanding of the population of diverse members in the Guild; a better understanding of the genre of screenwriting a minority group tends towards; a better understanding of how minority groups have progressed in their careers from entry-level to showrunner positions; and also helps with programming initiatives from the Guild to serve the underrepresented.