Am I a good ally? Do I stand up against racism? Are my actions inclusive of everyone regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation? These are the questions individuals and organizations in Canada and the US are asking themselves in the wake of various events of the past two years.

In light of several headline-making events — Black Lives Matter protests held around the world after the killing of George Floyd and other black people; pandemic-related violence directed toward Asians; the unequal impact the pandemic has had on marginalized communities; and the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools in Canada — individuals and corporations are reassessing how they approach racism and discrimination in the workplace and in their communities, realizing they must take a more active approach to the way they talk about diversity and inclusion efforts. 

For Scotiabank, that approach focuses on allyship — what it means and how we can show it.  As part of its commitment to walk the talk, today the Bank is hosting Summit for Change on Allyship for its employees. Allyship furthers the Bank’s purpose — for every future — by facilitating an inclusive environment for customers, employees, which in turn contributes to the broader economy. The event features six sessions that examine topics such as why allyship matters, unconscious bias and privilege, inclusive hiring and effective allyship best practices. Employees are encouraged to take advantage of the learning tools and resources to support their ongoing journey to becoming effective allies and take the momentum of the day forward throughout the year. 

“The summit reinforces Scotiabank’s commitment to promote building an inclusive culture for our employees and our customers through allyship, disrupting bias, confronting racism and fostering conscious inclusion,” said Barb Mason, Group Head & Chief Human Resources Officer at Scotiabank.

“Every single one of us has an accountability to be an ally through listening, education, and taking action that can be sustained.”

Allyship has been intertwined with much of what society has experienced in the past two years, which is why Dictionary.com’s editors declared it the word of the year for 2021. The popular online resource defines “allyship” as: “the status or role of a person who advocates and actively works for the inclusion of a marginalized or politicized group in all areas of society, not as a member of that group but in solidarity with its struggle and point of view and under its leadership.”

In a survey conducted for Scotiabank to deepen its understanding of the changes needed, more than a third of Canadians (36%) say they, or someone close to them, have recently been impacted by racism or discrimination. 

The survey, which was conducted online by Maru/Blue for the Bank, found that while Canadians see the importance of being good allies more than ever before, many are unable to define exactly what that means. More than two-thirds of respondents to the survey said a culture of inclusion is more important now than it was pre-pandemic, while 77% feel they are actively promoting a more inclusive society, yet 58% also said they were not sure how to be an ally. 

In addition, nearly half (45%) of Canadians associate allyship with being more action-based — working together, being supportive and being an ally, while they tend to see diversity and inclusion as being better at communicating the idea of different cultures and gender identities. 

Maru/Blue polled 1,537 randomly selected Canadian adults in May 2021 to gauge Canadians’ understanding of diversity and inclusion, allyship and what we can do to be supportive. Results were weighted to match the population according to Census data.

In November 2020, Scotiabank renewed its Diversity & Inclusion Goals to strengthen the diversity of its workforce. Those goals include doubling the representation of Indigenous employees; significantly increasing the number of employees who identify as People with Disabilities; ongoing advancement of the BlackNorth Initiative CEO pledge; and bolstering the global number of women in executive roles.