BlackNorth Initiative Summit: Canada’s business community takes up challenge of systemic racism

Image credit: BlackNorth Initiative

The BlackNorth Initiative launched on June 10, 2020 with the goal of increasing the representation of Blacks in boardrooms and executive suites across Canada and the removal of anti-Black systemic barriers negatively affecting the lives of Black Canadians.

As a first step, corporate leaders from coast to coast were invited to pledge their organizations to policies and specific targets to end systemic racism. As of this writing, over 200 organizations have signed the pledge and many more attended the inaugural BlackNorth Initiative Summit on July 20, 2020.

The Calgary Chamber is proud to stand with several members of Calgary’s business community as a signatory of The Pledge, which include:

• Air Canada
• Bennett Jones LLP
• Bridging Finance Inc.
• Brookfield Asset Management Inc.
• Canadian Chamber of Commerce
• Canadian Western Bank
• Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
• CIBC
• Ernst & Young LLP (Canada)
• Export Development Canada
• Habitat for Humanity
• HSBC Bank Canada
• KPMG Canada
• Mackenzie Investments
• McMillan LLP
• National Bank of Canada
• Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
• Pricewaterhouse Coopers Canada
• Sault Ste Marie Chamber of Commerce
• Scotiabank
• Sobeys Inc.
• Stikeman Elliott LLP
• Sundial Growers Inc.
• And many more

By working together towards diversity and inclusion within our organizations and communities, we can end systemic racism in Canada.