The Society of Canadian Ornithologists (SCO) acknowledges that systemic racism is pervasive in Canada and condemns all acts of individual and institutional racism, harassment, and discrimination. We recognize, and wish to address, underlying biases in our actions and institutions that continue to perpetuate inequality. No one should feel vulnerable, voiceless, or pre-judged. No one should feel that their identity, gender, sexuality, ability, race, or ethnicity precludes them from enjoying nature in public spaces or participating in wildlife research. We have a responsibility to stand with and support our colleagues, students, and neighbours to ensure equity for all.

 

Now is the time to face inequities, both acknowledged and unrecognized, and facilitate the changes that are necessary to remove barriers to participation, inclusion, representation, and justice in our nature and research spaces, and beyond. Repairing the inequities within the SCO and within our broader communities will take time to do well, and we commit to dedicating ourselves to these efforts over the long term. As such, we maintain an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee that has been tasked with determining both short-term and long-term actions we as a professional society can follow to support and promote the inclusion and well-being of ornithologists from groups historically denied equity in Canada.

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Ongoing activities spearheaded by the EDI Committee include:

1. Maintaining a free membership program to remove barriers to entry 

2. Developing metrics to track the effectiveness of our EDI efforts; 

3. Periodically surveying our membership to better understand its characteristics and needs;

4. Providing social and networking opportunities to support underrepresented communities; 

5. Running an annual mentorship program to support the career development of students and early career researchers; 

6. Offering the Student Discovery Award to support students from underrepresented communities; and

7. Increasing transparency and accountability by making metrics on society membership and EDI-promoting activities publicly available. 

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These activities are by no means exhaustive and will be built upon in the years to come. We welcome input from the ornithological community in Canada, so please feel free to contact us by email (info@sco-soc.ca) with your suggestions for how we can improve SCO-SOC.