Financial firms come together for new fund

In response to recent tragic events in Quebec City, members of the province’s financial community are pitching in to establish Inclusion, a philanthropic fund of more than $3.5 million. The fund will be used to promote the values of openness, inclusiveness, and equality.

On the evening of January 29, a lone shooter opened fire on worshipers at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center. The incident, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a “terrorist attack,” left six people dead and 19 injured. Sympathetic Canadians have donated thousands of dollars to support the victims’ families.

Aimed at supporting awareness and education programs in schools, the Inclusion fund aims to build inclusive living environments and encourage young people to be open to diversity in all its forms.

The initial beneficiaries of the fund are ENSEMBLE, Equitas, and Institut Pacifique, which work with young people to build a discrimination- and harassment-free environment. The funds will allow these organizations to expand the scope of their existing programs, among other things. Other groups could become part of Inclusion fund’s influence in the future.

Twenty-one firms spontaneously joined this initiative, including:

• BMO Financial Group           
• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
• Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec      
• CIBC
• Desjardins      
• Fondaction CSN
• Fonds de solidarité FTQ        
• Great-West Life
• iA Financial Group    
• Investors Group
• Intact Financial Corporation  
• La Capitale Financial Group
• Mackenzie Investments
• Manulife         
• National Bank
• Power Financial Corporation
• Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)           
• Scotiabank
• SSQ Financial Group 
• Sun Life Financial
• TD Bank Group