The Globe and Mail
Brenda Bouw
Published February 1, 2021
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per cent of companies on the S&P/TSX Composite Index have a female chief executive officer and more than half of the companies on the same index have no women top executives at all. And much to the chagrin of Canadians looking to invest in companies that promote gender equity and diversity, there are only a few options from which to choose.
Canada currently has five homegrown funds – four mutual funds and one exchange-traded fund (ETF) – with a gender-lens investing focus, according to Morningstar Canada. The management expense ratios range from about 1.5 per cent to 2.6 per cent for the Class A mutual funds offered by BMO Global Asset Management (BMO Women in Leadership Fund), Desjardins Global Asset Management (Global Equity Desjardins SocieTerra Diversity Fund), Fidelity Investments Canada ULC (Fidelity Women’s Leadership Fund) and Mackenzie Investments (Mackenzie Global Women’s Leadership Fund) and 0.29 per cent for the ETF offered by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (RBC Vision Women’s Leadership MSCI Canada Index ETF).