This is part of the company's multi-year strategy to further reconciliation in Canada
KPMG in Canada is planning to increase the representation of Indigenous Peoples within the organization by October 2025, as part of a series of strategies it announced to advance reconciliation. Under the company's Trust and Reconciliation Action Plan, KPMG said it is increasing the hiring of Indigenous Peoples through post-secondary recruitment and support strategy for Indigenous post-secondary students.
"KPMG's current goal is to more than double representation of Indigenous Peoples firm-wide by October 2025," the company said.
The firm also announced that it will engage with Indigenous groups and HR leaders to support the recruitment and advancement of Indigenous Peoples, while also enhancing support for education programs that assist Indigenous Peoples.
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In another pillar of the plan, KPMG in Canada said it will establish a team and governance structure as well as an Indigenous Advisory Council to support the initiative's implementation and accountability. It will also educate its teams and senior leadership on Indigenous cultures and reconciliation, as well as enhance awareness education and training opportunities for KPMG in Canada employees.
The third pillar of the KPMG's plan would involve engaging and collaborating with Indigenous communities and organizations to create economic and social benefits for Indigenous Peoples, according to the company.
KPMG in Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Action Plan is a multi-year strategy made in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's call to action.
"While we're not the first major Canadian organization to implement a Truth and Reconciliation Action Plan, we certainly hope – and in fact we are confident – that we won't be the last either," said Rob Davis, chair of the board of directors and chief inclusion, diversity, and equity officer at KPMG in Canada.
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Elio Luongo, CEO and senior partner of KPMG in Canada and co-chair of the firm's Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Council, said this "wide-ranging strategy seeks to help create a more inclusive culture for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.
"Everyone at KPMG in Canada will have a stake in the success of the Truth and Reconciliation Action Plan, and it touches all parts of the firm," said Luongo.
According to the executive, the initiative is about helping reverse the "systemic injustices" that remain present today.
"As one of Canada's largest professional services firms, we are fortunate to be in a position to help advance reconciliation within the business community, and we hope to inspire other organizations to take action as well," said Luongo.
KPMG in Canada previously shuttered its offices on September 30 to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It also recommended various resources for employees so they can learn about the legacy of residential schools.
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The Indian residential school system in Canada was a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples, where Indigenous children were isolated from their own religion to assimilate them into the dominant Canadian culture. The system lasted for over a century, and its impact on the Indigenous Peoples remain until the present.