Miller Thomson was the proud recipient of The Award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion at the fourth annual Canadian HR Awards, held on September 14, 2017. Our firm is honoured to be in the company of other finalists for this category – Amec Foster Wheeler Nuclear Canada, the City of Vancouver, Colliers International, Hostelling International (Canada, Pacific Mountain Region) KLF Media Inc., Matrix Search Group, Parq Vancouver, TD Bank Group (Campus), and the Vancouver Airport Authority – as well as, fellow HR Awards winners such as McDonald’s Canada, Mattamy Homes and Ottawa Hydro.
The Canadian HR Awards celebrate excellence in the Human Resources profession, recognizing individuals, teams and companies for their outstanding achievements in people management.
Being named the winner of The Award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion is of particular significance to our firm. The firm’s leadership has strategically prioritized inclusion and diversity initiatives as an integral component of Miller Thomson’s business strategy and a key to success. To this end, the firm has implemented a number of initiatives including generating awareness, dialogue and action through internal education programs as well as, through active participation in external organizations such as the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, the Canadian Board Diversity Council and the Women’s Executive Network, the Justicia Project and the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network.
In 2017, the firm launched the Miller Thomson Indigenous Law Student Internship Program. This 12- to 16-week paid internship program – the first of its kind at a national Canadian law firm – is intended for Indigenous law students in their first year of study. The goals of the internship are to assist Indigenous students to develop and expand their professional networks, and to provide a base of support while they gain exposure to a wide variety of practice areas and the culture of a large, leading national law firm. The program also provides training and mentorship. By offering this exposure to students after their first year of law school, it is hoped that recipients will be well-placed to succeed in the remaining two years of their law degree program.
While gratified to receive this year’s award, Miller Thomson recognizes the importance of being vigilant in promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace. As Miller Thomson Chair, Kent Davidson, noted in his acceptance speech at the Canadian HR Awards, “… we have a long way to go, as the legal industry in some ways lags. Our diversity and inclusion journey continues. And although we are better today than yesterday, justice requires we be even better tomorrow . . . . Let’s all commit to advancing diversity and inclusion within our organizations. We can all make a difference, and we must.”
Miller Thomson congratulates the winners and finalists of this year’s Canadian HR Awards.