Directors Guild releases report on anti-harassment policies and practices

Toronto – DGC President Tim Southam released the following statement today, accompanying the Directors Guild of Canada’s Independent Audit of DGC Anti-Harassment Policies and Practices conducted by Daina Green:

“Over the last five months, we have witnessed an unprecedented moment as countless brave women and men have stepped forward to shine a light on a corrosive culture that’s festered in our industry for far too long. This report is inspired by the courage of those who have come forward and draws a road map to honour their strength by enacting real and lasting change.

“The DGC believes that every institution in our sector has an obligation to promote fairness, safety, dignity and due process for every member of our community. I am pleased to say our board has adopted all 12 recommendations made by our independent auditor. I want to thank Daina Green for her tireless work, gathering information from more than a hundred members, staff and leaders in the Guild and conducting one-on-one interviews with more than sixty people.

“What we’ve found with this report is that taking on harassment will mean making real cultural change in our industry, not only addressing sexual harassment, but harassment in all its forms. When bullying, or demeaning and dehumanizing comments, go unchecked, it creates fertile ground for other forms of abuse of power. But there is also reason for hope.

“Our membership clearly supports efforts by the Guild and other key industry stakeholders to stop harassment and this report lays out the steps we can take to build the strong reporting mechanisms, better training and greater awareness that we need to shift our industry culture. The Guild looks forward to the work ahead with all our partners to achieve this goal.”