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Canada’s forest sector pledges support for paid leave to attend citizenship ceremonies

In an effort to boost diversity and inclusion in the forest products sector, the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and the Canadian Wood Council (CWC) are partnering to support the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) #CelebrateCitizenship Challenge, which encourages business leaders and employers across Canada to provide employees with paid time off to attend their citizenship ceremonies.

“As more and more new Canadians settle in northern and rural communities, and as our sector builds its talent pipeline of the future, this effort is all about walking the talk on supporting diversity and inclusion,” says Derek Nighbor, president and CEO of FPAC, in a statement.

“We plan to take our commitment a step further and will work with our team members to find opportunities for them to attend a citizenship ceremony this year. We would encourage other national industry groups to consider doing the same,.”

The #CelebrateCitizenshipChallenge is a “simple act is a concrete step any employer can take to make their workplaces and therefore their communities more inclusive,” says Yasir Naqvi, CEO, Institute for Canadian Citizenship.

“Polling shows that eight in 10 Canadians agree with us that new citizens should not have to take unpaid time off work to join our Canadian family. We are proud to say that over 50 organizations across Canada have signed on to #CelebrateCitizenship so far and we’re thrilled to add FPAC to that list.”

For more information on the Institute for Canadian Citizenship’s #CelebrateCitizenship Challenge, visit inclusion.ca/celebrate-citizenship.