It’s important for employers to look beyond the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and consider how reconciliation can be embedded into workplace policies, benefits and employee supports throughout the year, says Laurel Stroz, senior manager of inclusivity, diversity, equity, accessibility and wellbeing strategy at Co-operators.

“The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is first and foremost a day of commemoration. It is an opportunity to honour Survivors, remember the children who never returned home and recognize the lasting impacts that residential schools continue to have on Indigenous families, communities and generations.”

Read: Truth and Reconciliation at work: Inside the NWMO’s path to meaningful change

Earlier this year, Co-operators launched a seven-member Indigenous advisory council aimed at bringing Indigenous lived experience, cultural knowledge and expertise into its strategies, products and operations. The council provides guidance on business decisions, including underwriting, pricing, policy processes and language, as well as education, employment and economic empowerment initiatives.

The council also supports the organization’s commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92, which calls on the corporate sector to advance reconciliation through its policies, practices and business activities.

While Sept. 30 provides an opportunity for........

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