Deloitte honours commitment to Canada’s future Indigenous leaders

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.