In boardrooms and hiring panels across Canada, a troubling paradox is unfolding. As organizations double down on DEI initiatives, a growing number of experienced professionals — many in their late 50s and 60s — are finding themselves edged out of the very workplaces they helped build. While these managers and specialists bring decades of institutional memory, strategic acumen, and mentorship value, they’re increasingly seen as liabilities in a culture that prizes youth, novelty, and digital nativity over experience.

The Greying of the Workforce:
Canada is aging. According to Statistics Canada, by 2030, more than one in four Canadians will be 65 or older. With Baby Boomers and early Gen Xers still actively contributing in many industries — from engineering and healthcare to education and government — the aging workforce is not a trend. It’s a reality. Yet many employers continue to overlook or quietly push out older professionals through early retirement schemes, restructuring, or by simply never calling them back for interviews.

Ageism in the Workplace:
Ageism is one of the last socially acceptable forms of discrimination in many professional settings. Older candidates are often labeled as “overqualified,” “out of touch,” or “resistant to change.” In tech and marketing fields especially, there's a perception that innovation belongs to the young. This bias shows up not just in hiring practices but also in promotions, project assignments, and layoffs.

When DEI Excludes Experience:
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are essential to building fair and representative workplaces. But in practice, some DEI frameworks fail to recognize age as a valid axis of diversity. Programs often focus on race, gender, and sexual orientation — all critical areas — but overlook age entirely. This omission creates a blind spot where seasoned employees, particularly those who are also women or minorities, fall through the cracks.

The Double Standard:
An experienced manager in her 60s might be passed over for a leadership development program in favour of a younger employee, not because of skill but due to perceived long-term ROI. Meanwhile, the same organization might spend heavily on mentorship initiatives — ironically ignoring the richest source of mentorship they already have: the older workforce.

Real Stories from the Field:

• Lena, 61, a former VP of HR from Toronto, describes applying for over 80 jobs with no callbacks. "I started removing my graduation year from my resume just to get an interview," she says.

• David, 58, was laid off after 27 years in telecom and replaced by a less experienced, younger manager. “They told me they needed ‘fresh energy.’ But what about experience?”

A Call for Age-Inclusive DEI:
A truly inclusive workplace doesn’t pit generations against one another. Instead, it recognizes that diverse teams include diverse ages — and that the synthesis of fresh ideas and seasoned judgment is a competitive advantage. Age-inclusive policies could include:

• Anti-ageism training

• Cross-generational mentorship programs

• Hiring benchmarks that include age diversity

• Rethinking job descriptions to eliminate coded ageist language

Conclusion:
Canada’s aging population is not a burden — it’s a treasure trove of wisdom, skill, and resilience. If companies want to thrive in an era of disruption and transformation, they’ll need to stop viewing age as a problem and start seeing it as a powerful part of the DEI solution.