Sunday, April 19, 2015

Ex Plains VIRAL SPIRAL #Christians Diversity metrics will influence what firms BMO’s legal department does business with: Fish

VIRAL SPIRAL                                                                                                   09/05 7158
 09/05 7158
19/05/7400
21/05 7627

see also http://theproverbialfixisin.blogspot.ca/2015/02/8-more-revealing-information-bmo-money.html

Diversity metrics will influence what firms BMO’s legal department does business with: Fish

Written by  Posted Date: October 6, 2014
http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/5302/Diversity-metrics-will-influence-what-firms-BMOs-legal-department-does-business-with-Fish.html


Diversity panel participants John Mountain, SVP, Legal, NEI Investments; Kate Broer, Dentons LLP, Dorothy Quann, VP GC, Xerox and Bindu Dhaliwal, associate GC BMO & panel moderator.
Diversity panel participants John Mountain, SVP, Legal, NEI Investments; Kate Broer, Dentons LLP, Dorothy Quann, VP GC, Xerox and Bindu Dhaliwal, associate GC BMO & panel moderator.
While some of the largest organizations in Canada have established the business case for embracing diversity in the legal profession, some law firms still aren’t buying into the importance of diversity and inclusion.


On Sept. 30, the Bank of Montreal hosted a panel discussion featuring Canadian legal and business leaders from Dentons Canada LLP, Deloitte Canada, Xerox Corp., and NEI Investments. The discussion highlighted tools and insight to increase workplace diversity and inclusion.

The audience included managing partners of Canada’s largest law firms that are also members of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network.

In 2013, as part of an RFI process, BMO began asking the law firms it works with to advise if they collected diversity metrics and, if so, to disclose them to BMO. That year, 34 per cent of the firms who responded, indicated that they did collect metrics and disclosed their numbers. In 2014, BMO followed up with a second request to the firms that they are working with. Ninety-seven per cent of those who responded indicated that they now collect metrics and disclosed those diversity metrics to BMO.

BMO executive vice president and general counsel Simon Fish said that in the future, the metrics will influence who the legal group chooses to do business with. He added that the TD Bank Group has also committed to requesting metrics from the firms it deals with.

“The banking industry is a major employer of legal services in Canada and is in a position to move the needle in the corporate diversity space,” said Fish. “Law firms have never before been challenged in this way. This initiative will be an evolution for the industry with the goal of making a difference in the way we do business with suppliers.”

 Fish added, “This policy we’re announcing will have traction. Firms who wish to do business with us now clearly understand that there is a bona fide opportunity to gain a competitive advantage over other companies vying for our business, not just by complying with our request for diversity metrics but also in our assessment of their diversity performance relative to their peers.”

The bank hopes its diversity efforts will give law firms another reason to ensure their teams include people from different ethnic groups, members of the lesbian and gay community, those with different physical abilities, and a balance of men and women.

Dorothy Quann, vice president and general counsel at Xerox Canada, told law firm lawyers in the audience it’s important they make sure all of their lawyers understand that if they’re members of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network, they know it and understand what it represents.

“When you look at what is happening with in-house departments, you will start noticing there is a lot of diversity and we’re the buyers of the services,” said Quann, who’s also president of Legal Leaders for Diversity.

“They are going to start noticing the requirements the banks have and you would hope that would start driving some meaningful engagement with the firms. Make sure the folks in your firm — associates and partners and managing partners — are aware of what [Legal Leaders for Diversity] is asking for and that you are all signatories to [the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network].”

She said the business model for diversity is clear thanks to organizations like BMO and noted firms must now realize what it means for their future.

Dentons partner Kate Broer talked about the firm’s diversity boot camp, something it created five years ago.

“People understood there were organizations like BMO asking us for diversity metrics, but in order for that to resonate and connect the dots internally, we started this boot camp. It was designed to be a booster shot for anyone in the organization with hiring and firing and promotion responsibilities,” says Broer, who’s also the firm’s Canada region co-chairwoman of diversity and inclusion.

Every partner at Dentons has now been through the boot camp that addresses issues such as unconscious bias.

“For a period of time, we actually banned the word ‘fit’ in the organization when we were talking about recruitment because we realized it had no tangible meaning. We have worked to redefine this concept of ‘fit’ at Dentons. In some respects, it can mean ‘unfit,’ understanding we are now trying to look for differences because we know it brings things like creativity and innovation and different perspectives are what we really need,” she said.

Broer said “a lot of skeptics come in the door” at the boot camp but lots go out the door “begging for more.”

“When we’re having those critical discussions around the partnership admission table, permission has been given to raise questions like: ‘What do you mean that person has great potential? How come this other person doesn’t have great potential?’”

Even the most progressive organizations should be challenging their own notions of diversity and inclusion to make sure they’re on track, said Sonya Kunkel, chief diversity officer and vice president for talent strategies at BMO.

More than two years ago, BMO embarked on a “major change effort” it now calls its “diversity renewal agenda.” “We had long been a pioneer in diversity and inclusion efforts, but there was a general sense we had plateaued a bit and perhaps even stalled in terms of our overall efforts,” said Kunkel, adding it led to a concerted effort to revamp its governance structure around diversity and inclusion and establish goals around workforce representation, such as the proportion of women it wanted to see in senior leadership roles and an overhaul of its reporting system.

Kunkel says BMO also looked at the “attitudes and perceptions” that might be getting in the way of creating a culture that would support progress over time.

“We recognized that in order to effectively embrace diversity, we actually had to start thinking more critically about what it meant to create an inclusive workplace,” she said.

Kunkel said the bank also wanted to look at how it could more effectively challenge judgments about talent.

“Sometimes I would hear comments about particular labels that were applied, whether it be to women or about other minority groups, and people wondered if that was really fair or could it be challenged in an effective way so that people would not be afraid of the conversation that might result,” said Kunkel.

The bank also looked at how to prompt more effective conversations with employees. “We found that managers do not feel comfortable having effective career conversations with team members who are unlike themselves,” she said. “It’s not because they are not good intentioned or because they don’t want to but they were afraid they might say things that were politically incorrect or they would come across as being biased. So as a result of being afraid, they would opt out of having the conversation, which of course over time accumulatively and disproportionately disadvantaged certain groups in terms of advancement in organizations.”

Kunkel talked about “blind spots” people can develop over time that can develop into a stereotype they apply to someone who’s different from them. “There’s an old trope in organizations that [says] like respects like, that it’s the very senior male who pulls up another male within the organization who looks like him. That is a real dynamic and often it’s done unconsciously because of the way we are hardwired,” she said.

To help bridge the gap between law firms and in-house counsel on the diversity issue, Quann talked about a mentorship program recently launched with Legal Leaders for Diversity and the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network. Together, they’re working to mentor pre-partner lawyers from the law firms. There are 22 participants representing about 17 law firms.

The pilot project pairs senior in-house counsel with pre-partner lawyers from the law firms.

One of the mentors is John Mountain, senior vice president for legal, chief compliance officer, and corporate secretary at NEI Investments.

“If there is one thing I hope to convey, [it] is the power of standing up and saying, ‘I don’t understand.’ It’s the importance to challenge. Certainly for me, as a gay person, I wanted to be invisible a lot of the time because I was afraid of being picked on or abused, in fact. So I want to help give him the comfort that I have gotten to over my 28 years of practising law,” said Mountain.

Mountain said he wished law firms would “talk more fulsomely” on their web sites about their recruiting practices and provide contact information for those who lead diversity efforts and include videos of partner-level lawyers and their experiences working there.

Quann suggested firms that provide continuing legal education sessions should be more mindful about making sure the speaker panels reflect the firm’s diversity.

“Make sure your panel is diverse. See if there is someone else who could speak to that issue,” she said
.

Canada’s banks take pride in message of LGBT support #Christians


 Bloggers Note: Twisted logic ...should I rest my case!        5733 / 6044

I think Not....All this attention to LGBT was fine,  just fine... until Mr. Fish and supposedly 72 major Canadian Corporation's legal representatives were corralled into crossing the line, that, in their radical zeal to eliminate Christian believers or at least to demand they compromise their belief and conscience and 100% (no tolerance) face discrimination  in Education Legal and Social and  not economic and family life 

The line that BMO+72 have cross is to seek to effectively ostracize* from normal societal life Christians and supremely punish them for being who they are and 





The Globe and Mail

He is 66 and has seen so much. Billion-dollar bank mergers. The 1960s culture wars. Yet, Ed Clark still can’t help but cry when discussing gay rights.
For nearly a decade, Toronto-Dominion Bank’s chief executive officer has been vocal about his support – shocking senior managers in 2005 with a speech about the need to defend gay rights, running ads that feature same-sex couples, breaking down crying at annual Pride events for TD employees.


But this week he is doubling down on his message, and Canada’s other big banks are eager to add their voices.
In the middle of WorldPride, a major international summit taking place in Toronto this month, Mr. Clark spoke at the Economic Club of Canada to argue that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community still needs more support around the world and in Canada’s workplace, even though gay marriage is legal here.
In many countries, gay people are at risk of being killed, and in Toronto more than 20 per cent of homeless youth are LGBT – many run out of their homes by unaccepting parents.
“You listen to these stories and how can you not cry?” Mr. Clark wondered.
He isn’t alone on his crusade any more. Some of Canada’s biggest financial institutions, including Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal, are also joining in. This week, many of RBC’s downtown Toronto branches are draped in massive rainbow flags and BMO raised its own flag at First Canadian Place, the 72-storey skyscraper that hovers over the heart of Bay Street. The message: There is no reason to hide anymore.
While their vocal support can seem like a public relations stunt, the banks say it’s a reflection of their internal commitments. If they win business in the process – gay people are typically well-educated, often affluent, and they travel more than the average Canadian, making them ideal clients – so be it.
“Raising the flag was an important visible manifestitation … of what we believe internally,” said Simon Fish, BMO’s general counsel.
In the 1990s, Matthew Barrett, BMO’s colourful chief executive, told Tony Comper, the man who would replace him, that pushing diversity internally was crucial, Mr. Fish said, and the bank has since committed to everything from creating LGBT groups to promoting female senior executives.
At RBC similar initiatives exist and CEO Gordon Nixon has personally attended the bank’s internal celebration of “coming out day” – something that sent a powerful internal message. “Honestly I felt a sea change there,” said Jennifer Tory, RBC’s personal and commercial banking head.
The lenders are going more public with these views because they appreciate their power in Canadian society. Collectively RBC, TD and BMO employ just fewer than 200,000 people and they made $19-billion in profits last year.
Their executives also feel some personal responsibility. TD has offered same-sex benefits since 1994, and years after they were made available Mr. Clark asked to see how many people had taken advantage. The answer: Just 55. Too many people risked being outed.
He went home that night utterly embarassed. “My God,” he thought to himself. “I have been running a homophobic institution … and didn’t know it. Shame on me.”
Bank executives also have close friends and colleagues who have struggled with coming out, something Ms. Tory attested to. The personal connection not only makes them want to speak to the issue, but has taught them that the banks have to stay committed. They can’t simply wave the flag for one year and move on, she said, because every time an employee changes departments or roles, their old insecurities can come roaring back.
The banks aren’t perfect. When LGBT rights were thrust into the spotlight leading up to the Olympics, many didn’t say much. And to outsiders, their internal initiatives can seem hokey.
But their diversity teams have taught them to stick with the fight, and they are learning that even the smallest things, such as messaging, can matter the most.
When Mr. Clark spoke about LGBT issues in front of every single one of his senior managers in 2005, it was more than just a message that diversity needed to be addressed.
“Seriously, it was one of those moments in my life when time slowed down,” said Tim Thompson, now TD Asset Management’s COO, who had yet to come out at the time.
“It was like he was talking to me … I had never heard a business leader ever, ever, talk about me.”

Trinity Western vs Bank of Montreal #retweet Please #re-tweet #Christians #BMO #TWU Blog Archive

Christians Help a worthy cause #retweet                                                                 6044
#twu is being bullied by big Banks and Major Corporations  see http://legalleadersfordiversity.com/membership/

MyResponse:

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Friday, April 10, 2015

Calling all #Christians in NorthAmerica SIGN UP for UPDATED I need 5000 USA sign up please re tweet to all your followers

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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

UPDATED Top Ten # 9 a factor in how BMO assesses the suitability of their clients. BMO 's Misguided request of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

UPDATED from Dec 20 2014                                                            352       5239-73  fri 5491

Bloggers note: TOP TEN WHY's  BMO+72 Juggernaut will FALL This is the reason # 9 Trinity Western University

The Top TEN Edict Top TEN WHYs ....#StayTuned #TopTenEdict  THIS IS #9
----------------------------------------------755

http://www.donplett.ca/blog.asp?blogID=50

Letter to BMO Executive Vice-President Re: Trinity Western University's Proposed Law School
December 2, 2014
Last week, I wrote a letter to Mr. Simon A. Fish, Executive Vice-President & General Counsel, in response to his submission to the Law Society of Upper Canada.
For reference, his submission can be found here:
http://www.lsuc.on.ca/uploadedFiles/TWUBMOFinancialGroupMarch26.pdf

My response:
November 24, 2014

Mr. Fish,

I was tremendously disappointed to see that BMO Financial Group has taken an intolerant stance on Trinity Western University’s proposed new law school.

While it is no secret that bigoted, ignorant and discriminatory attitudes toward Christianity are accepted and even politically correct in Canada, it disappoints me that your prestigious company would make such a misguided request of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Your suggestion is that the law society should deny accreditation of the Trinity Western University law students because the school’s "covenant agreement," or code of conduct, does not accept the act of sex outside the traditional definition of marriage, and is thereby discriminatory. The hypocrisy and irony in this claim is profound.

The school does not prohibit gay students, or even non-Christians, from enrolling, and the rule also extends to unmarried heterosexual couples.

As you know, this is not the first time the school has been challenged for its religious values. In 2001, the B.C. College of Teachers was trying to deny accreditation of Trinity Western’s teaching degree because the school insisted upon the same covenant from its students. The court ruled in favour of TWU, because "For better or worse, tolerance of divergent beliefs is a hallmark of a democratic society."

Tony Wilson, an atheist bencher of the B.C. Law Society, voted in favour of Trinity Western University because of his belief in upholding the rule of law, stating: "We cannot cherry-pick the laws we like from the ones we don’t."

I was offended to see that you have referenced "the core values of Canadians," as reasoning for your position. What makes BMO the authority on determining the core value of Canadians? Seeing that nearly 70% of Canadians identify as Christian, I would say that your assessment of the core values of Canadians is not only inappropriate, but blatantly incorrect. What I know for sure is that Canadians value the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which, ironically, you have also referenced to support your position. You may know that guaranteed in our Charter is the right to freedom of religion.

Whether or not it is popular or politically correct to be Christian in 2014, Trinity Western University should still be protected by something called the rule of law. When we have a very clear ruling from the nearly identical leading case on this issue from the Supreme Court, precedent needs to be followed. And also, I tend to believe that our chartered right to freedom of religion should include Christians.

I must say, I find it strange that BMO, as a financial institution, not a legal institution, would be providing advice to Ontario’s law society. With that said, I sincerely hope that this discriminatory attitude does not play a factor in how BMO assesses the suitability of their clients.
I hope that the Law Society of Upper Canada reexamines its intolerant position on the proposed new law school. It is also my hope that BMO will not rush to judgment in the future about an individual or faculty’s ability to learn, teach or practice law based on a preconceived notion of what you believe their religious beliefs represent.

Regards,

The Honourable Donald N. Plett, Senator

UPDATED AUDIENCE June 9 compared to ....April 7 2015

United States

3773                                                                                     5177/ 8347
Canada

840
United Arab Emirates

231
France

115
United Kingdom

44
Russia

22
Ukraine

22
Singapore

11
Germany

8
Denmark
---------------------------------
JUNE 9th


United States

6335
Canada

1090
United Arab Emirates

313
France

185
Ukraine

84
Russia

67
United Kingdom

52
Denmark

13
Greece

13
Netherlands

12

PLEASE HELP!! RE-TWEET asap Calling all Christians in North America Now! To come together Now! #Christian #Christians Brothers and Sisters in the United States of America and Canada

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And BANKS are particularly vulnerable...especially Banks that, drunk in their power choose to socially engineer its customer base like the Bank of Montreal (BMO and BMO Harris) has been doing for too long already under the capable Simon A. Fish VP and General Counsel of BMO Financial Group direct involvement.


To Start:
Pick a Blog post and Re-Tweet ... Re-Tweet all if you will, one by one. 

To understand this initiative read the first 10 posts ..ask questions if you will... BMO has pledged to double their customers base in the US of A ....I say, they will not! They shall shrink!

For videos of Parliamentarians in Canada see  "BREAKING" below  (7posts) Staring at March 11, 2015

Blog Archive

April 7 2015
Todays Post
http://theproverbialfixisin.blogspot.ca/2015/04/please-help-re-tweet-asap-calling-all.html