Cassandra Dorrington
President & CEO, CAMSC
The Canadian landscape continues to change and evolve and is truly considered one of the most diverse countries in the world. As a result of this increasing, we see the introduction of new ideas, innovations and perspectives, that have created the foundation for innovation supplier diversity programs and new relationships between vendors and those companies who invest in diversity.
Supplier diversity programs work to expand a company’s range when purchasing the goods and services as required. These goods and services range from manufacturing, transportation, logistics, and distribution, to event management, HR, IT and staffing and everything in between, and are ranged from local to national geographic markets. The one similarity between them all is that they are minority/indigenous owned.
As Canada’s visible minorities are predicted to make up 1/3 of Canada’s population and consumers by 2031, it is incumbent upon corporations to better understand those who buy them from them, who use their services, and who work for them. Through the implementation of Supplier diversity programs, organizations can provide a conduit to identify and support these diverse businesses through fostering positive competition and increased entrepreneurship.
Supplier diversity is strongly rooted in the Canadian marketplace and it continues to grow. What started as an Automotive services, financial services and ICT focus, has grown to cover all industry sectors.
Since our inception in 2004, CAMSC has seen the growth and expansion of certifying associations such that there has been a focus on building and promoting businesses owned by indigenous, minority, women, LGBT, veterans and persons with disabilities. While the number of certified diverse suppliers have grown dramatically across the nation, so too have the numbers of businesses who design and implement supplier diversity programs. In 2018, CAMSC reported spend of 1.2 billion dollars with our diverse suppliers which was 30% increase over the prior years.
Supplier diversity is strongly rooted in the Canadian marketplace and it continues to grow. What started as an Automotive services, financial services and ICT focus, has grown to cover all industry sectors. In particular, the concept of supplier diversity has been embraced by one level of government and these successes and best practices have been used to inform other levels of governments. As a result of the many opportunities available to the small and medium businesses within Canada, supplier diversity and social procurement has been seen to be the innovative path to diversifying local and national supply chains.
For 15 years CAMSC has been the connector between Indigenous/minority owned businesses and corporate companies dedicated to Supplier Diversity. As we look to the future, new pathways are created for these certified diverse owned businesses to make connections not only with corporate members, but other certified suppliers as well. CAMSC’s Procurement Fair alone, with over 350 participants, is expected to generate $50M revenue in Toronto, Apr 15-16, 2020.
About CAMSC
CAMSC (Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council) is a non-profit organization created in 2004 to advance the economic strength of Aboriginal and visible minority communities through business development and employment.
