Stantec - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Stantec is Medium Risk.

Stantec is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Stantec occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Medium Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Stantec integrates ESG into its business practices. From its Stantec Sustainability Report 2022: “The table contains ESG-related KPIs connected to executive compensation as disclosed each year in Stantec’s Management Information Circular” (1). However, Stantec has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2)(3).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Stantec’s charitable giving guidelines require that organizations abide by its nondiscrimination policy, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, thereby excluding some religious charities (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Stantec offers unconscious bias training to its employees (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its supply chain. From its Vendor/Supplier Diversity page: “Our Supplier Diversity Team focuses on working with diverse suppliers” (2). Stantec protects its employees against viewpoint discrimination (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Stantec supports DEI within its business practices, employing a Chief People and Inclusion Officer and hosting an Inclusion & Diversity Council (1)(2). The company signed The Declaration of Amsterdam which advocates for “collaboration between employers and LGBTIQ+ employees to realize mutually beneficial improvements” for LGBTQ employees (3). Stantec’s CEO, Gord Johnston, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (4)(5). The company hosts “Inclusion Moments” which covers “Diversity Dimensions, Accessibility, Conducting Inclusive Meetings, Preferred Gender Pronouns, Race Relations Conversations, What it means to be an Ally, Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable, Intercultural Competence, and I&D Champions for Change” (6). Stantec supports ESG within its business practices. From its Stantec Sustainability Report 2022: “Our Executive ESG Committee, accountable for our sustainability performance, communicates critical ESG knowledge, performance, concerns, and initiatives to the Board. Committee members work to align sustainability and stakeholder priorities, integrate sustainability into our Strategic Plan and operations, and address sustainability-related risks and opportunities” (7).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Stantec awards $200,000 through its Equity & Diversity Scholarship (1). In 2020, Stantec awarded $2,500 of this scholarship fund to two LGBTQ2+ students who plan on pursuing STEM in their post-secondary educations (2). Stantec also partnered with the Building Equality LGBTQ+ Construction Working Group in 2022 (3). Stantec partners with multiple LGBTQ groups including Stonewall, OK2BME, Pride at Work, and Rainbow Tick (4). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Stantec using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (5).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Stantec does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).