The three-year project will see a Gender Champions Task Force, comprised of mining executives, identify and address the barriers faced by female employees in their companies. MiHR will develop a number of tools and resources – such as gender-based training, inclusion policies and equitable hiring procedures – which will be implemented and tested in these companies. The resulting tools and best practices will be shared with industry stakeholders.

This project was selected through the Government of Canada's call for proposals called ‘Increasing Economic Prosperity for Women’.

Dr K Kellie Leitch, Canada's Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women, said: “Our government's number one priority is to create jobs and opportunities for all Canadians. One of the ways we do this is by supporting community-based projects that support economic security and prosperity for women. We know that when women succeed, Canada succeeds.”

Ryan Montpellier, executive director at MiHR, added: “The Canadian mining industry faces a number of human resources challenges both now and in the years to come. To meet these challenges, we need to attract and retain the right talent, including women. This new funding from the government of Canada will allow us to determine what prevents women from advancing in mining, and will help us develop the tools the industry needs to address those obstacles.”