But 6 in 10 say this representative leadership is lagging
The majority (79 per cent) of Greater Toronto Area (GTA) residents see diverse leadership as having a positive impact on the GTA's ability to attract investment from other countries. Yet six in 10 GTA residents believe that this representative leadership is lacking. Women are more likely than men to consider this an issue of concern (64 per cent versus 58 per cent), found the report Public Opinion on Diverse GTA Leadership by DiverseCity and Nanos Research, which polled 1,000 residents.
"GTA residents are quite clear that they want to see a more balanced representation by population in leadership positions," said John Tory, co-chair of the DiverseCity project. "They feel that equal representation will move the GTA toward becoming a 'world-class city' — a centre of culture that has a well-represented multicultural community."
Recent studies have found that visible minorities and under-represented immigrant groups make up nearly 50 per cent of the GTA's population, but only 14 per cent of its leaders. While most respondents (75 per cent) thought it likely that the GTA's leadership would be reflective of the population in the future, they also agreed that it could take a long time (almost 19 years, on average) and many indicated that change should be expedited (65 per cent).
"It's encouraging to see that most residents call for action on reflective GTA leadership," said Ratna Omidvar, co-chair of DiverseCity. "In fact, we should move faster on this issue to take advantage of the economical and social benefits that diverse leadership will bring to our city region."
