I am truly honoured to greet you as I begin my first message as CCDI’s new CEO. This moment fills me with gratitude, reflection, and excitement for what lies ahead.
In recent days, I have reflected deeply on my own journey – one shaped by the lived experience of being a first-generation Canadian and part of a multi-racial family. I felt the weight of invisibility, the barriers that come with difference, and the quiet resilience it takes to be seen and heard. These experiences aren’t just part of my story; they are the realities of so many equity-deserving individuals and communities across Canada. These experiences are what ground and fuel my strong commitment to CCDI’s vision of a country where people are valued, celebrated, and empowered for all dimensions of diversity – in every space, every day.
I feel privileged to lead this work alongside CCDI’s dedicated team and community. In these first couple weeks, I have been inspired by the passion and momentum across the CCDI network. I am focused on listening, learning, and co-creating with our staff, Employer Partners, and collaborators. My door is always open – I welcome your ideas, your feedback, and your partnership as we shape the next chapter of CCDI’s journey and explore how we drive change together.
Thank you for the work you do every day to advance inclusion. Together, we have the power to create meaningful change, and I look forward to everything we will create side by side.
Warm regards
Sartaj Sarkaria
Chief Executive Officer
Sparking the collective: Transdisciplinary approaches to DEIA As we continue to face complex and multifaceted challenges in the DEIA space, there is an urgent need to innovate beyond the traditional boundaries of our disciplines and practices. CCDI's fall 2025 Community of Practice invites practitioners, changemakers and organizational leaders from both public and private sectors to come together and explore how transdisciplinary approaches can drive innovation, ethical action, and collective sustainability in today's evolving DEIA landscape.
The fall 2025 Community of Practice theme, Sparking the collective: Transdisciplinary approaches to DEIA, calls us to action through deep collaboration.
Visit the event page for updates on virtual and in person dates and registration.
Exclusive report from CCDI CCDI’s latest report, Exploring Intersectionality in DEIA and Canadian workplaces, is the first chapter in a new research series addressing how organizations can better recognize and respond to the complexity of identity in the workplace. This report serves as a valuable, evidence-based resource that explores how DEIA professionals interpret intersectionality, and how these interpretations can be used to inform more inclusive and responsive workplace strategies.
Five years and forward: Black Lives Still Matter Join us as CCDI opens space for a powerful public webinar commemorating the murder of George Floyd and the global uprising that followed. Through storytelling, reflection, and shared learning, we’ll have the opportunity to explore how the legacy of 2020 continues to shape our collective responsibility and how we continue to move justice, equity, and inclusion forward. The collective response to George Floyd's death uncovered entrenched patterns of anti-Black racism and racialized violence, amplifying the realities that too often go unspoken, both globally and in the Canadian context.
Inclusion Table Talks: Canadian Multiculturalism Day
How can Canada move forward in building a truly inclusive society in the face of growing polarization and resistance to DEIA efforts?
In this episode of Inclusion Table Talks, Anne-Marie Pham sits down with Senator Andrew Cardozo, public policy expert, community leader, and champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. They discuss the role of the Senate in shaping public policy, Canada’s identity rooted in diversity, and the forces driving anti-DEIA rhetoric. Tune in now on your favourite podcast platform.
Canada Day can mean many different things to many different people. For some, it signifies the formation of Canada in 1867. For others, it's a celebration of the journey to a new home, with hope for new opportunities. For many, it highlights the deep and systemic colonial violence that Indigenous communities across Turtle Island continue to face.
This resource offers a few starting points for reconciling these truths. It brings together immigrant stories that celebrate each other, artworks that honour culture and tradition, and perspectives that help us come to terms with the tensions of belonging.
See Different Sticker Design Contest: What does belonging mean to you?
Calling all creative youth in Canada! Show us how you #SeeDifferent and tell us: what does belonging mean to you?
We’re inviting youth across Canada (ages 15–26) to design a sticker that reflects one of See Different’s core values: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, or ReconciliACTION .
Understanding multiculturalism, cultural plurality, and interculturalism
In recognition of Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27, Iván Barradas, MA, CCIP, Manager of Learning and Knowledge Solutions at CCDI, unpacks the nuances behind three often-confused concepts: multiculturalism, cultural plurality, and interculturalism in his latest blog.
Together we are shaping more equitable workplaces, schools and communities through our Employer Partners, moving towards a truly inclusive Canada. Join us in extending a warm welcome to our newest Employer Partners.
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