Historically, the social economy has always carried the principle of the primacy of people and social inclusion over capital. However, the current situation is pressing to review our understandings and practices of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
At the Chantier, it is the movement itself, in particular l’Aile jeunesse du Chantier, that has targeted ethnocultural diversity and systemic discrimination as issues of great importance for the social economy and for Quebec. That is why, in 2020, the board of directors adopted EDI as a priority for the Chantier and formed an advisory committee on the subject. The Board decided the first mandate would be about ethnocultural diversity in the social economy and gaining knowledge on this situation, hoped to evolve towards EDI more globally.
In accordance with the advisory committee, it was agreed that the Chantier’s efforts should focus on these three areas:
- Document the Quebec reality of EDI in the social economy (management, board of directors, staff, volunteers and people who use services), and create spaces for dialogue between actresses and actors of the movement;
- Develop partnerships with the ecosystem dedicated to EDI to guide and equip organizations in the co-construction of inclusive solutions adapted to their reality;
- Develop best practices in this area at the Chantier and an ability to increase the contribution of the social economy movement to social justice issues.
Ultimately, these efforts aim to increase representativeness within the social economy movement and thus its ability to contribute to a relevant and inclusive development model.
In order to achieve meaningful results, we count on an advisory committee represented by:
- Mariloue Daudier, EDI Advisor at the General Secretariat of HEC Montréal;
- Marie-Laure Dioh, Professor in the Department of Science Administration at UQO;
- Louis-Edgar Jean-François, President and General Manager of Groupe 3737;
- Souleymane Guissé, Training Project Manager at CSMO-ÉSAC and President of the Intercultural Board of Montreal;
- Élizabeth Brosseau, Communication Director at Vivre en Ville;
- Tabata Barthoulot, President of the Aile jeunesse du Chantier de l’économie sociale;
- and Béatrice Alain, General Manager at the Chantier de l’économie sociale.
And collaborate closely with partners such as:
The Association québécoise des centres de la petite enfance (AQCPE), The Corporation de développement économique communautaire de Québec (CDEC-Qc), The Conseil québécois du loisir (CQL), The Comité sectoriel de main-d’oeuvre en économie sociale et action communautaire (CSMO ESAC), la CSN, The Institut de recherche sur l’immigration et les pratiques interculturelles et inclusives (IRIPII), The Réseau d’investissement social du Québec (RISQ), The Territoires innovants en économie sociale et solidaire (TIESS), The Table nationale des corporations de développement communautaire (TNCDC), The Union étudiante du Québec (UEQ) and Vivre en Ville.
If you or your organization is interested in participating in some aspects of this process, please contact Joëlle Bernard, concertation advisor at joelle.bernard@chantier.qc.ca.
