Listen, learn and press for real progress

George Floyd’s senseless killing in Minneapolis has brought to the forefront issues of racial and social injustice that people of colour in the United States, Canada, and across the world can, and do experience in their day-to-day lives. The existence of systemic racism in our society and institutions cannot be denied, nor can the real and long-lasting trauma that it causes. It is our responsibility in the legal profession to uphold the fundamental principles that ensure that the rule of law is applied fairly and without prejudice, and that access to justice is equal for all. But it is also our civic duty, as individuals and as part of the business community, to expose and speak up against all forms of intolerance and discrimination wherever we see them. Let us be inspired by the scope and intensity of the people championing for change in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. May it remind us of our obligation to keep listening, learning and pressing for real progress on the road to achieving equality for all.