Diversity & Inclusion

MISSION STATEMENT

Diversity and Inclusion is deeply rooted in the collective values of the Calgary Association of Legal Administrators (CALA).

We recognize different types of diversity such as
1. internal: race, culture, ethnicity, gender, age

2. external: appearance, disability, religious beliefs, relationship status, bias barriers;

3. organizational diversity: job function, level and management status, pay; and

4. our moral compass: what is inherently right for all.

With the recognition of diversity, our mission is to understand, foster and empower our membership and business partners towards inclusivity by bringing awareness, welcoming all and continuing an evolving process of sharing experiences, educating and conveying our knowledge beyond our membership and business partners.

We aim to accept, accommodate, recognize and respect everyone for who they are, committing to and creating a safe space for them to bring their attributes, talents and potential to CALA.

CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS AND OBSERVANCE DAYS

Please see below for a list of upcoming cultural and religious celebrations and observance days.

September 5International Day of Charity Labour Day
September 8International Literacy Day
September 10World Suicide Prevention Day Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Cake Festival)
September 19-25International Week of the Deaf
September 21International Day of Peace
September 22Fall Equinox
September 23International Day of Sign Languages
September 25-27Rosh Hashanah
September 26 – October 5Navaratri
September 30National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Orange Shirt Day
August 1Civic Holiday Emancipation Day
August 9International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
August 11Raksha Bandhan
August 12International Youth Day (IYD)
August 13-15Obon
August 15The Assumption of Mary into Heaven National Acadian Day
August 17Marcus Garvey Day
August 18-19Krishna Janmashtami
August 19World Humanitarian Day
August 23International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
August 31Ganesh Chaturthi International Overdose Awareness Day

SPEAKER/RESOURCE RECOMMENDATIONS

  1. Kathleen Nalty Consulting, LLC (https://kathleennaltyconsulting.com/)
  2. Equilibria E-Colours Assessments (https://equilibria.com/e-colors)
  3. HRx (https://hrx.tech/hrx-training/)
  4. Michael Bach (https://www.michaelbach.com/)
  5. Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (https://ccdi.ca/)

INDIGENOUS-RELATED CONTENT

  1. Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future.  Summary of the Final Report of the Trust and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
  2. Government of Canada Website entitled Delivering on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.
  3. Summary document of the 94 Calls to Action. 
  4. A Reconciliation Reading List compiled by the CBC of 15-must-read books. 
  5. The Downie-Wenjack Fund website provides access to education on the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.  Included on the website are the recordings of stories provided by Indigenous leaders, residential school survivors, elders, musicians and teachers.  These stories were broadcast on the 2021 DAY TO LISTEN across radio stations in Canada. 
  6. The Moss-Bag Project – a local project from Bragg Creek who’s mission is to “create sustainable and reciprocal structures of support, by focusing on the health and education of Indigenous families and children”. 
  7. The University of Alberta offers an Indigenous Canada course through their Massive Open Online Course system.  From the website, “Indigenous Canada is for students from faculties outside the Faculty of Native Studies with an interest in acquiring a basic familiarity with Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationships.”
  8. A list of Indigenous-made films provided by the National Film-board of Canada.
  9. A small set of resources about Indian Residential Schools:
  10. An article titled “Pandemic Spurs Indigenous business women to become doubly creative.” Published in the Globe and Mail – 01-January-2021.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

  1. A video about bias called “The Look”. 
  2. A video called “The Quiet Power of Introverts”.
  3. A CNN interview with Heather McGhee called “Why racism hurts everyone, regardless of race”.
  4. A TEDxYouth talk discussing the importance of studying and learning about other cultures. 
  5. A Ted Talk from Stella Young about disability and society’s habit of turning disabled people into “inspiration porn”.
  6. A short (5 minute) TEDxYouth talk located here, presented by Kennedy Cook, a teenager. 

PRINT RESOURCES

  1. A Globe & Mail article about change leaders in the legal world, published 04-January-2021. 
  2. A Law Times article titled “In 2021, diversity-inclusion strategies must be ‘action-oriented’ and ‘authentic’, published 05-January-2021. 
  3. An opinion article titled “Why diversity is important to the legal profession” written by Sacha de Klerk at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada.   
  4. An article titled “Coca-Cola general counsel gets tough with law firms that fail to meet diversity goals” published in ABA Journal 28-January-2021
  5. An article from the Globe & Mail about emotional exhaustion titled “Working from home is causing breakdowns”, published 22-March-2021.
  6. An article from Deloitte called “The diversity and inclusion revolution: Eight powerful truths.”
  7. An article from Boston Consulting Group called “Small Actions, Big Impact: How to be an Ally at Work and Why it Matters.”
  8. An article by Erin Durant at Durant Barristers titled “How to Better Support a High Performing Workforce and Yourself During the Pandemic”, published 21-February-2021.
  9. A list of Anti-Asian discrimination resources from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. 
  10. Book Recommendation: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. 
  11. American Sign Language Cheat Sheet.

PHOTO GALLERY

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