Press releases

Deloitte honours commitment to Canada’s future Indigenous leaders

Deloitte Canada and Indigenous Youth Roots strengthen collaboration for the Centre of Indigenous Policy and Research to amplify Indigenous youth voices

Toronto, June 10, 2024 – June marks four years since Deloitte Canada released its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), the first of its kind in corporate Canada. The plan sets out tangible goals across four pillars of reconciliation: inclusion, education, employment, and economic empowerment. Today, Deloitte is proud to announce an expanded multi-year commitment to support Indigenous Youth Roots (IYR) for three years.

Deloitte remains dedicated to empowering current and future Indigenous talent, fostering change, and creating opportunities. This commitment is integral to advancing education and inclusion, and understanding the ongoing work required to make a meaningful impact. Engagements like these play a vital role in developing new policies and legislation for the benefit of future generations. Deloitte has positively impacted over 20,000 Indigenous youth to-date through volunteer and pro bono engagements.

“We are incredibly honoured to support the impactful work of Indigenous Youth Roots (IYR) and proud of our achievements together,” says Alexandra Biron, Senior Manager, Deloitte Indigenous and Reconciliation Action Plan Lead. “It’s important for the voices of Indigenous youth to be heard by governments and corporate Canada to make an impact in our communities. As the leaders of tomorrow, youth have an opportunity to guide powerful conversations and drive meaningful change.

Through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), we will continue to work alongside Indigenous Peoples and Nations on various initiatives, including Deloitte’s Nation Building practice and Future of Canada Centre (FCC) to achieve the goals we set out under our pillars.” The upcoming Voices of Indigenous Youth Leaders on Reconciliation series Volume 4 report by the FCC titled Reconciling our relationships to preserve Mother Earth for future generations is set to release on June 18, 2024.

Indigenous Youth Roots (IYR) is a national Indigenous youth-led non-profit charity that collaborates with communities to provide programs, grants, opportunities, and empowerment to Indigenous youth aged 18-29. Funding and resources will go towards multiple initiatives, including: Indigenous Youth Advocacy Week, the launch of an Indigenous youth advisory circle within Deloitte, IYRs’ Policy Symposium, paid internship opportunities with Deloitte’s Future of Canada Centre (FCC), and primarily IYR’s Centre for Indigenous Policy and Research.

“At IYR we know that Indigenous youth are leaders, innovators, and expert advocates, and we are happy to continue collaborating with Deloitte to amplify their voices into policy spaces,” says Megan Lewis, Director of the Centre for Indigenous Policy and Research at IYR. “This expanded multi-year agreement will allow us to continue to connect youth and build capacity, ensuring Indigenous youth lead the conversations that directly impact them and their communities.”

To stay true to Deloitte’s purpose, a refreshed Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) report will be released in Fall 2024 to share elevated goals on the firm’s journey of reconciliation.

About Deloitte Canada

At Deloitte, our Purpose is to make an impact that matters. We exist to inspire and help our people, organizations, communities, and countries to thrive by building a better future. Our work underpins a prosperous society where people can find meaning and opportunity. It builds consumer and business confidence, empowers organizations to find imaginative ways of deploying capital, enables fair, trusted, and functioning social and economic institutions, and allows our friends, families, and communities to enjoy the quality of life that comes with a sustainable future.

Deloitte provides industry-leading consulting, tax and legal, financial advisory, audit and assurance, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. We bring together world-class capabilities, insights, and services to address clients’ most complex business challenges.

Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

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