EDI & Land Acknowledgement

MPC Statement of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Principles

As a licensee of the Law Society of Ontario, MPC recognizes the diversity of the Ontario public and that it is the special responsibility as a member of the legal profession to protect the dignity of all individuals, and to respect human rights laws in force in Ontario.

We acknowledge that valuing equality and enhancing diversity and inclusion in our practice, at our legal workplace, and in our public life is central to the maintenance of public trust and confidence in the legal profession.

We acknowledge the obligation not to discriminate against, nor harass, any person on the basis of the grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code with respect to our employment of others, or in professional dealings with other licensees.

We acknowledge that the right to be free from discrimination and harassment applies to everyone at our legal workplace: clients, colleagues, associates, administrative staff, students or vendors.

We will provide legal services in a manner that is courteous and equitable, without discrimination or harassment.

Land Acknowledgement

MPC’s head office in Toronto is located on the traditional territory of many first nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.  Toronto (Tkaronto) is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.  It is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.  It is also covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, a pre-colonial treaty between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Confederacy of the Ojibway.  

MPC staff are often working virtually from other areas with their own unique histories and peoples and we respect the histories of those lands and their peoples as well.

Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action

We take seriously the commitment to reconciliation and we are guided by the Calls to Action in the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report, especially Call to Action #27 which states:

We call upon the Federation of Law Societies of Canada to ensure that lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training, which includes the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.

MPC staff are given opportunities to continue their personal learning about the history of this land, residential schools, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, and other issues affecting Indigenous peoples.