Equity, in all its forms and especially as it pertains to the treatment of employees, is not an option or a nice to have. Simply put, equity is the law.

Keynote speaker Njeri Damali Sojourner-Campbell shared that message during the 2026 Employee Equity Forum inside the John Deutsch University Centre.

“We actually have enshrined in our legislation that we must recognize the dignity and worth of each person,” says Sojourner-Campbell, a partner at Hicks Morley in Toronto with an expertise in labour, employment, human rights, and education law practice. “Recognising the dignity of a person means, in part, recognizing that they do not have to earn respect. They do not have to earn a place. They do not have to earn their credentials being recognized for what they are. They do not have to earn being trusted for their knowledge and experience. They do not have to earn their polysyllabic names being respected when read on an application. They don’t have to earn that; they’ve got it already.”

The Employment Equity Forum, held May 5, 2026, led by the Human Rights and Equity Office, has been in place since 2020.

Sojourner-Campbell says in the exercise of recruiting, evaluating, and hiring, there is a legal obligation to value the dignity and worth of every person being considered. Furthermore, those protections remain in place when a person is hired, a crucial aspect of employee retention.

In addition to Sojourner-Campbell’s remarks, the group reviewed the 2025-26 Employment Equity Plan and then collaborated to determine the goals for 2026-27. The plan, developed and implemented by the Faculty and Staff, Recruitment, Retention and Support (FSRRS) University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity (UCARE) Sub-Council, has been broken down into three segments – Recruitment, Retention, and Professional Development.

Of the 19 goals from the 2025-26 plan, 11 were completed, six are ongoing, and two have been paused. Examples of completed goals include Goal 7: Develop and implement an ERG Leaders Time Release Policy communication plan; Goal 10: Develop an onboarding framework to act as a pilot that could be transferred to the university; Goal 12: Explore mechanisms for conducting Stay Surveys; Goal 15: Create online modules on the new Harassment and Discrimination Policy; and Goal 16: Include special considerations for ERG leaders in the Queen’s Leadership Program.

“It’s really encouraging to hear about work that is underway and to also be reminded that meaningful progress happens through sustained effort and shared commitment,” says Lavonne Hood, Associate Vice-Principal (Human Rights, Equity, and Inclusion).

The 2025-26 Employment Equity Plan, using information from the ICount Queen’s Equity Census, revealed an increase in representation across all designated groups – Women, Racialized Groups, Indigenous Peoples, Persons with Disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ – when comparing 2025 vs. 2026. Details are available on the Employment Equity Dashboard.

In its role as a federal contractor, Queen’s must demonstrate measurable progress toward equitable representation, supported by data-informed planning, targeted initiatives, and sustained institutional action through the Employment Equity Plan.

Following the presentation on the 2025-26 Employment Equity Plan, the group turned its focus to discussing the 23 goals designated for the 2026-27 plan.

This work took place inside a room containing distinct features. Affixed to each wall inside Wallace Hall are the portraits of 20 past Queen’s Principals. Collectively, the portraits displayed little visible diversity. Forum attendees were also reminded, when Wallace Hall opened in 1947 inside the John Deutch Student Centre, women were banned, except during formal dinners. The ban was lifted in 1960.

The levels of contrast – a room recalling periods of historic exclusion as the work of equity and inclusion took place – did not go unnoticed.

“This room is not one thing,” says Stephanie Simpson, Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion). “It embodies many experiences, reminders and emotions for members of our community. But this space where inclusion is happening is also quite heavily dominated by the portraitures of past principals – almost all of them white or white presenting men. By design it’s impossible to be here and not wrestle with the impact of this. The height, the size, the downward gaze.

“We know some of these principals presided during times when the university openly discriminated against people because of their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability, and related grounds. And we know of others who genuinely believed in the power and responsibility of universities to support the futures of people and the planet by nurturing inclusive excellence.”