The recently released “2025 Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) “EDI in Canadian Marketing” report shines a powerful light on the state of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in Canada’s marketing industry. While progress is being made, the numbers reveal just how much leadership representation influences employee experiences, engagement, and retention. From higher psychological safety to stronger newcomer success rates, the data underscores a clear truth: when leadership reflects diversity, organizations thrive. Here are some of the specifics that stood out to us:

➡️ 81% of marketers support or accept EDI initiatives, whilst only 5% oppose

➡️ Employees in organizations with diverse senior leadership are significantly more likely to feel included (93%) compared to those without (39%).

➡️ Employee engagement is more than twice as high in organizations with diverse senior leadership – 28% disengagement vs. 68% disengagement without.

➡️ Organizations with well-diversified leadership experience 14 to 21 percentage points higher psychological safety – allowing open discussion of polarizing issues without fallout.

➡️ Preventable employee loss affects 57% of organizations with diverse leadership vs. 79–80% in those without.

➡️ BIPOC employees are 10x more likely to be targeted by layoffs in non-diverse leadership organizations (25% vs. 2%).

➡️ 46% of LGBTQIA+ employees in low-diversity leadership companies report being harmed by hate in the community, compared to significantly lower rates in inclusive leadership environments.

➡️ 51% of employees in non-diverse leadership organizations have heard discriminatory jokes – compared to 31% in diverse leadership organizations.

➡️ 62% of newcomers (in Canada less than five years) in diverse leadership workplaces say they are “set up for success,” a 15-point jump from 2024.

These findings make one thing abundantly clear: EDI isn’t just a “nice to have” – it’s a business-critical driver of engagement, retention, and organizational success. The gap in outcomes between companies with diverse senior leadership and those without is simply too large to ignore. For marketing professionals, these insights aren’t just stats – they’re an urgent call to action to champion inclusive leadership, foster belonging, and create workplaces where everyone can succeed.

Download the full report here.

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