"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but
the silence of our friends."
– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - Recent, violent racial
incidents, captured and amplified by social media, have paved the
way for conversations on pressing social issues around
discrimination. As a mineral exploration company built on a
foundation of meeting the highest standards of fairness and ethical
behaviour — and as 2021 unfolds with a sense of hope and recovery
after a turbulent year - Tectonic Metals Inc. ("Tectonic") is
compelled to speak out and commit to bringing systemic change
around equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, the areas
in which the company operates and throughout the mineral and mining
industry.
We are at a crossroads as a society: no longer can we be silent
observers of discrimination or exclusion in any form. We must call
out racism when we see it, commit to holding each other
accountable, and begin having difficult conversations with our
families, friends, and colleagues to challenge our own
preconceptions, biases (conscious and unconscious) and beliefs. In
confronting discrimination—be it racism, homophobia, sexism or any
other—we must be willing to acknowledge our privilege and to listen
to those who experience it. We must remember that just because
something is not a problem for us does not mean it's not a
problem. We must believe our friends and neighbours when they
share their experiences with us of discrimination and racism they
face and commit to change.
"As a father, I want to see a better world for my kids. As a
leader, it's clear to me that we need to acknowledge that
discrimination exists, to listen to those who face it, and to
commit to real change, starting with ourselves first. It's the only
way forward" - Tectonic President and CEO, Tony Reda.
While Dr. King's wisdom and peaceful protest helped progress
America's slow climb out of the darkness of segregation and racial
injustice, recent high-profile stories in media highlighting unjust
impacts on minorities and the ensuing civil unrest, have shone the
spotlight on the unfortunate truth: five decades on, we have just
begun to fully emerge into the light of equality for all.
While the past few years did put the spotlight on the continuing
discriminatory incidents occurring in the US, Canada is not immune to these issues. Our
country's legacy of racial and ethnic discrimination through
residential schools, colonization, the Sixties Scoop or the
Komagata Maru are all root causes of the problem that continues to
infest our society even today. Be it the inequity created by the
Indian Act, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, deaths
of Black Canadians at the hands of police, the over-representation
of Indigenous people (particularly Indigenous women) in Canadian
prisons or the recent defacement of pictographs of spiritual
significance —they are all a shameful reminder of widespread
discrimination that we must all commit to overcome. Indeed, the
natural resource sector itself has a long history of systemic
discrimination.
Tectonic therefore commits to confronting discrimination head-on
and is starting with immediate actions, such as:
- We are implementing two scholarships for black and indigenous
students in partnership with Doyon, Limited, Alaska's largest private landholder and one of
the largest Native Regional Corporations.
- Mandating our entire team to undertake professional development
specific to Cultural Competency and Anti-Racism Awareness and
Responder Training. To that effect, Tectonic management and
the Board of Directors recently completed a two-day anti-racism
workshop hosted by the Magassa Intercultural Capacity Building
Specialists.
- A full audit of all internal policies, controls, guidelines,
and practices is underway.
- Developing an interactive workshop on anti-racism and
intercultural competency, which we plan to bring forward to the
entire mineral exploration and mining industry.
- We will continue to actively investigate opportunities to be an
industry leader in creating inclusion and fighting systemic
racism.
"Our commitment to diversity and inclusion extends to everything
we do," says Mel Benson, Tectonic
Chairman. "From community engagement and diversity guidelines in
recruitment and hiring to supporting our employees to speak up, we
are committed to supporting and effecting change." This commitment
includes standing firmly behind staff who raise issues of
discrimination or harassment in the workplace; and a continued
commitment to maintaining a safe and inclusive workplace for all
our colleagues.
As parents of the children who will reap the rewards and bear
the burdens we leave behind; as business leaders who strive to make
positive contributions towards the fulfillment of human rights
through and within our business activities; and as global citizens
who respect and welcome diversity, we at Tectonic celebrate
individuals for their distinct talents, skills, and abilities. The
broad spectrum of contributions from a widely diverse group makes
Tectonic stronger and our world a better place to live.
Let's come together as an industry to commit to actions that
actively promote change. I invite my industry colleagues and our
partners around the world to reach out to us at
info@tectonicmetals.com to collaborate on eradicating racism
in our industry and join us using #mineoutracism to take this
movement forward.
Tony Reda
President and CEO
Tectonic Metals Inc.
About Tectonic
Tectonic believes that responsible mineral exploration and
development can positively impact the communities in which the
company lives and operates. We believe in early and ongoing
community engagement, best practices in ESG and the development of
a strong safety culture. Tectonic is committed to the following
core values: passion, integrity, diversity, patience, focus,
perseverance, honesty, fairness, accountability, and respect.
Tectonic is proud to have Doyon, Limited, a prominent Alaska Native
Regional Corporation and Alaska's
largest private landowner as our largest single shareholder. For
further information about Tectonic please visit our website at
www.tectonicmetals.com or contact Bill
Stormont, Investor Relations, at toll-free 1-888-685-8558 or
by email at info@tectonicmetals.com.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TectonicMetals/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TectonicMetals
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/tectonicmetals/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/tectonic-metals
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SOURCE Tectonic Metals Inc.