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.

November 1All Saints’ Day
November 2All Souls Day
November 8Indigenous Veterans Day
November 11Remembrance Day
November 15LhaBáb Düchen
November 19Gurpurab
November 20Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 25International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
November 26Day of the Covenant
November 27 – December 24Advent begins
November 28Ascension of Abdu’l Baha
November 28 – January 6Nativity Fast
December 1World AIDS Day
December 2International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
December 3International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 5International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development
December 6The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women
December 8Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 10Human Rights Day
December 16Day of Reconciliation (South Africa)
December 18International Migrants Day
December 18-26Hanukkah
December 20International Human Solidarity Day
December 24Christmas Eve
December 25Christmas Day
December 26Boxing Day
December 26 – January 1Kwanzaa

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

Cross
X