Directors Guild Of Canada Finds People Of Color “Significantly Underrepresented” Among Its Members

deadline.com:

A first-of-its-kind census conducted by the Directors Guild of Canada has found that people of color are “significantly underrepresented” among its membership, accounting for only 18.3% of the more than 3,000 members who completed a self-identifying survey.

According to the report, BIPOC make up 26%-27% of the Canadian population. Black members accounted for only 2.5% of the members surveyed.“The complete results demonstrate a telling lack of diversity among the participating members,” the report found, noting that “underrepresentation of BIPOC communities exists within the guild membership in all regions of the country.”Out of the 3,318 completed questionnaires, 82.8% of the participants identify as Caucasian, with Asian groupings (8.6%) having the second highest percentage, followed by Indigenous (2.9%) and Black (2.5%) members of the guild.

According to the report, “the largest share of Black participants is of Caribbean heritage at 51.3% of members identifying as Black.”Women are also underrepresented.

According to guild records, they account for 42.4% of all members.See the report here.“Our guild and our industry have a long way to go to ensure we represent the diversity of stories and audiences across this country, but the road towards this goal has to start with declaring who we are and acknowledging our numbers,” said DGC President Warren Sonoda. “The census gives us a benchmark for accountability to tell us whether our efforts towards inclusion are getting the job done.”“This effort serves our whole guild,” said RT Thorne, chair of the DGC BIPOC Members Committee. “The industry has shifted towards a global market for original content, and there’s a hunger for varied stories that represent those diverse