The Future Skills Centre, in partnership with the Environics Institute and the Diversity Institute, published a new Project Insights Report: EDI Backlash? What Canadian Workers Really Think. The research analyzed data from the eighth wave of the national Survey on Employment and Skills, conducted in March and April 2025 with a total of 5,603 respondents across all provinces and territories. The dataset included questions on general attitudes toward EDI, perceptions of how much attention employers give to it, and whether workers felt it had affected their own opportunities at work. These measures allowed for a detailed portrait of how Canadians perceive and experience EDI across different groups, sectors, and workplace contexts.

Key Insights:

• A majority of Canadian workers (54%) say EDI in the workplace is a good thing, compared to 27% who are neutral and only 16% who view it negatively, showing broad acceptance and limited opposition.
• When asked about the impact of EDI on their own opportunities at work, nearly half of workers (47%) report that their employer’s EDI approach has benefited their opportunities, while 35% say it has had no effect and only 12% say it has been negative.
• Support for EDI is closely tied to economic security, with 68% of very satisfied employees and 59% of those who feel their income is adequate saying EDI is a good thing, compared to just 37% and 45% among those who are dissatisfied or financially strained.

For further insights and key takeaways, click here.