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CANADA’S BEST DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS 2022
McCarthy Tétrault raises the bar through inclusion
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hen she was applying for positions in the legal profession, one interviewer told Alana Robert, who is Red River Métis, that her identity and work with Indigenous people would impede her ability to do her job. Not surprisingly, she didn’t pursue that position and instead joined McCarthy Tétrault LLP. “I have never been made to feel like who I am doesn’t belong here,” says Robert, who is an associate at the Toronto-headquartered law firm. “My voice is valued and embraced.”
I have never been made to feel like who I am doesn’t belong here. My voice is valued and embraced. — Alana Robert Associate
CEO Dave Leonard says the firm’s goal is to go beyond representation to retention. “Diversity programs used to be almost exclusively focused on representation,” he says. “Businesses wanted to bring more diverse people through the door, but few were doing the work to ensure that door was not a revolving one. Members of under-represented groups need to be set up for success within an organization.” To help reach this goal, the firm created its Inclusion Now program in 2019. This aims to attract, retain and advance members of equity-
Alana Robert, associate at McCarthy Tétrault.
seeking groups including Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC); members of the LGBTQ+ community; people with disabilities; and women. McCarthy Tétrault also has a focus on advancing reconciliation. This includes having a legal and strategic advisor, Indigenous initiatives – which the firm says is a first in the Canadian legal profession – and a reconciliation committee, which is developing a reconciliation action plan that will impact all parts of the business. “Our firm’s journey to advance reconciliation has just begun,” says John Brown, legal and strategic advisor, Indigenous initiatives.
“I am proud of our genuine and comprehensive approach to raising awareness of Indigenous issues and assisting all our lawyers and staff to develop and maintain mutually respectful relationships with the Indigenous people in the communities in which we work.” In 2020, McCarthy Tétrault launched a summer program for first-year Black and Indigenous law students and has an annual Indigenous student open house. These initiatives are designed to remove the barriers that can discourage Indigenous students from applying to large, full-service firms. The firm also has a partnership with Indspire, an organization
that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. This partnership is funding five national scholarships for Indigenous law students over the next five years. Increasing access to justice is another priority, including the Indigenous Human Rights Program, a partnership with Pro Bono Students Canada, the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres and the Ontario and Canadian human rights commissions. “This program provides members of the Indigenous community with pro bono information, advice and legal representation relating to human