About the Award

The Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Award recognizes outstanding Canadians, in any region of the country, who have made significant contributions to the advancement of human rights, equal access, equity, diversity and inclusion within an organization, a sector, a community or nationally.

In the past three decades, CPAC has always been an advocate on issues important to the immigrant and racialized communities, from social justice and human rights to access to services and opportunities.

While continuing to serve the community of internationally educated professionals with their integration and career success in Canadian society, CPAC has embarked on a new mission and established the CPAC Institute to provide research-based support for the understanding and elimination of systemic racism and barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion and for addressing specific issues concerning the well-being of Chinese Canadians.

The CPAC Institute started its first research project in 2020 and published its findings in 2021 on the underrepresentation of Chinese Canadian leadership in the Greater Toronto Area. The Institute is currently conducting an equity and inclusion study of the Ontario education curriculum, with special reference to how East and Southeast Asian Canadian histories and experience are taught in public schools.

In addition to research, CPAC Institute develops and collaborates with institutional and community partners to provide training programs on civic leadership, running for public office, and anti-racism and anti-oppression, present public education events and activities to raise awareness of anti-Asian racism, and provide the impacted communities with informational tools to combat various forms of racism and racial discrimination.

The establishment of the CPAC EDI award is another initiative of the CPAC Institute to advance the cause of equity, diversity and inclusion. By recognizing the contributions of these champions, the Institute wishes to amplify their impact and inspire more individuals from the racialized communities and those who are in positions of power to take action to acknowledge, confront, and eventually eradicate racism and all forms of discrimination from Canadian society.

The inaugural EDI awards were presented on May 29, 2022 in celebration of the Asian Heritage Month, along with the release of an Anti-Racism Community Information Handbook.