Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Together The Royal Canadian Legion is Committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
EDI Statement
The Royal Canadian Legion strives to embed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) into the culture at all levels of The Royal Canadian Legion from our Branches and members to Dominion Command and from Dominion Command to our Branches and members. We empower members, Branches, Provincial Commands/Special Sections and Dominion Command to build EDI plans and initiatives, not only for our members, but also for our employees and clients that may or may not be Legion members.
Our ultimate goal is to ensure that The Royal Canadian Legion projects a culture where all Veterans and Legion members, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, nationality, disability, economic status, gender identity, sex and sexual orientation feel welcome and included. Failure to meet that goal will indicate that we are not supportive of all Veterans, nor all non-Veteran Legion members.
Our Mission
The Royal Canadian Legion’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is unwavering and will reflect across all of our work supporting all Veterans, their families and our communities. This is central to our impact and our mission: “To serve Veterans, which includes serving Military and RCMP members and their families, to promote remembrance and to serve our communities and our country.”
Our Vision
To achieve our vision “To be the most highly respected Veteran and Community Service organization”, we must demonstrate our commitment to cultivate an organizational culture that values, supports, and promotes equity, human rights, respect, and accountability among Veterans, members, clients and employees. In our inclusive community, we must encourage and support individual and collaborative efforts to identify and address inequities as we engage with diverse ideas, knowledge, and perspectives in the pursuit of inclusive excellence for the organization’s future.
To achieve our vision for EDI we are guided by the principles:
- Equity – ensuring access, resources and opportunities for all, regardless of their identities.
- Diversity – ensuring the presence of differences that enrich the Legion and reflect the communities it serves including the Veteran community, all Legion members and Canada as a whole.
- Inclusion – welcoming all people regardless of their background and integrating their perspectives and contributions into how our Branches operate.
- Human Rights – ensuring the basic rights and freedoms that belong to everyone.
- Equality – ensuring people of all backgrounds. Some examples: people of different races, religions and sexual orientation are all treated fairly and have the same opportunities regardless of the equity- deserving group to which they associate.
- Respect for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples – extending the Legion’s unreserved support, wherever possible and appropriate, and in collaboration with First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities, to assist in this healing journey.
These guiding principles will inspire and establish our strategic objectives. To achieve our strategic objectives, every member of The Royal Canadian Legion has a role to play, and together we will:
- Establish an EDI strategy through strong and effective leadership.
- Address cultural and traditional gaps and invest in training.
- Formalize policies and procedures to create a common EDI standard.
- Build tools and processes to collect EDI data and measure success.
- Proactively communicate and recruit to build diversity and inclusivity.
- Build partnerships and engage with external groups to expand capacity.
The Royal Canadian Legion has been serving Veterans, their families and our communities for nearly 100 years. As we know that Canada’s Veteran population and the demographics of our membership has become increasingly diverse. The philosophy that “a Veteran is a Veteran is a Veteran” must be clearly understood to include the statement “regardless of age, ethnicity, race, nationality, disability, economic status, gender identity, sex and sexual orientation.” This will ensure that all Veterans and non-Veterans will know that they are supported and served by The Royal Canadian Legion regardless of their association with any equity-deserving group. This is the future of The Royal Canadian Legion.
Signed by
Berkley Lawrence
Dominion President
The Royal Canadian Legion