EDMONTON – Alberta’s minister for the status of women says shareholders making decisions about publicly traded companies deserve information on the number of women on boards and in
executive suites.
READ MORE: Number of women on Alberta corporate boards less than half the national average: report
Stephanie McLean made the comments Thursday at a meeting with her federal and provincial counterparts in Edmonton.
McLean was referring to a decision by the Alberta Securities Commission this week to revisit a decision it made two years ago to not compel companies it oversees to disclose the number of women
employed in senior positions.
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READ MORE: Alberta looks to broaden info on women executives
The ASC says it is revisiting that decision on the urging of Premier Rachel Notley’s government. It says it previously didn’t believe the issue was within its mandate, but now says it is.
McLean says statistics show that nine out of every 10 chairs in Alberta-based TSX companies are occupied by men, and says a spotlight needs to be put on that disparity.
ASC’s proposed rules would requiring Alberta-based companies to disclose the number of women in senior positions along with company game plans for recruiting more women.
If not, those companies would have to explain why they are not recruiting women – and all that information would be available to shareholders.
READ MORE: Second-worst city in Canada to be a woman is Edmonton: report
The ASC board members are appointed by the province.
Premier Rachel Notley’s government has made gender parity a cornerstone policy.
Notley’s cabinet is gender balanced, and the government says it takes gender balance into consideration when making appointments to provincial agencies, boards, and commissions.
Nationally, it’s estimated women make up 25 per cent of senior management ranks and 16 per cent of board of director positions.
With files from Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
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