The article By Leah Eichler was originally written for corporate boards however it is equally important for the not-for-profit sector.

When the federal government finally announced the members of an advisory council to get more women on corporate boards, I admit, I actually felt rather cynical. Where other countries have examined the dearth of women on corporate boards in depth, issued recommendations, put policies in place and in some cases enacted legislation, Canada has stood pat, resting on its early standing as one of the world leaders, sliding a bit more each year. It took 13 months to assemble the 23 business leaders capable of bringing us into the global conversation on board gender diversity and the group has until the fall to make any recommendations.

Yet, arriving late at this global party on board diversity carries some unique advantages, among them the ability to learn from other country’s mistakes and cherry-pick the best of the international community’s initiatives to create a uniquely made-in-Canada solution.

As an active spectator on the board diversity discussion, I’ve noticed a palpable hunger for change among business leaders, female and male alike and, anecdotally, the idea of quotas does not appear to strike the same fear in the business community as it once did.  But quota legislation is not the only way to make progress. The key is to act quickly.

In 2009 and 2010, we ranked 6th among 23 industrialized nations, according to GMI ratings of women on boards. By 2011 we slipped to the 9th spot and may continue to decline. According to a TD Economics Special report, released in March, women make up only 11 percent of directors on the S&P/TSX Composite Index.  The report also states that nearly three-quarters of the corporations on the S&P/TSX Composite Index have either no woman on their board or just one.

The report describes this lack of progress as “troubling to economists” since it “implies a market failure to appreciate the skills and perspectives that women can bring to the table.” I’m not the only one advocating for quick action.

“Hopefully, the committee will quickly turn its attention to how many and how fast,” said Sonia Baxendale, who sits on several boards, including Foresters Insurance, The Hospital for Sick Kids Foundation and The Toronto French School.

“Canada continues to lag in this area (gender diversity on boards) and we have a great opportunity to finally play a leadership role. Our goal should be to leapfrog others and demonstrate our commitment to the value of diversity in all aspects of society,” she added.

Ms. Baxendale, who formerly held board roles with First Caribbean International Bank (Barbados), CIBC Trust Co and CIBC Asset Management Inc. believes Canada’s first step should be to set targets, increase transparency and have companies disclose their results. If that doesn’t achieve the “desired results” quickly enough, Ms. Baxendale suggests moving toward more affirmative action.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley, who lists among the 23-committee members, has high hopes that the group will find a practical way to increase the representation of women on boards.

“There are lots of people talking about this but we have made rather pathetic progress in creasing the number of women on board of public companies in Canada,” admitted Mr. Manley. He believes that many share his aspiration to see better representation of women on boards but Canada has been yet unable to identify a practical way to approach the problem in order to see more concrete results. While the idea of a uniquely Canadian solution greatly appeals to him, Mr. Manley would be content with a foreign-made solution, so long as it worked.

“At this point, we have to admit that nothing we’ve done has worked so we need to be open to new ideas from within or outside,” he added.

Other advocates for more women on boards agree that now is not the time to play catch up but set the example for other countries to follow. Stephanie MacKendrick, who has been pushing for more women on corporate boards for over 15 years as a not-for-profit leader, invoked the words of the Rona Ambrose, the minister for the Status of Women, and her view that we don’t need another study or a report but “action-oriented strategies to move the dial in the right direction.”

“There is so much research on the benefits women bring to boards, in terms of better governance, corporate performance and competitive edge, it’s time for the debate to stop and the progress begin,” insisted Ms. MacKendrick, who has launched a search practice exclusively to place women on corporate boards.

“Canada can use the learning of other jurisdictions to get itself back into the leadership position that it once held,” she added.

Another benefit to arriving late to any party is the opportunity to make a dramatic entrance.

So here’s my unsolicited advice to the committee, who has until the fall to make their recommendations: be bold, be precedent-setting bold.