INNOVATION July-August 2018

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ENGINEERS AND GEOSCIENTISTS BC TO IMPLEMENT FIVE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION CALLS TO ACTION THE INITIATIVE ALIGNS WITH THE ASSOCIATION’S PRINCIPLE TO FOSTER DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY A s part of our commitment to enabling members to participate in self-regulation, the association allows association’s primary duty to serve the public interest, and what action would be appropriate for the association to take in response to each of the

members to put forward motions at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Council’s consideration. At the 2017 AGM last October, the following member motion was carried: “MOTION 5: That Council consider: • Establishing a Task Force in collaboration with the assembly of BC First Nations to review the recommendations contained within the Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) report with the intent of determining how Engineers and Geoscientists BC can help to facilitate the recommendations within the mandate of the Act as well as within the context of the Code of Ethics; and • Develop guidelines for members services performed and delivered by members are consistent with the recommendations of the TRC report and/or help to facilitate the intent of the recommendations.” The Professional Practice Committee soon met, and agreed that the motion aligns with Principle 5 in the association’s Strategic Plan: to foster inclusivity and diversity. The committee agreed to commission an external consultant to identify which of the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action relate to the to ensure that professional conduct and professional

recommended Calls to Action. Engineers and Geoscientists BC

engaged Nalaine Morin—a member of the Tahltan Nation, speaker at the upcoming 2018 Annual Conference and principal of ArrowBlade Consulting Services—to review all 94 Calls in the report “Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action” and develop a report identifying those related to the primary duty of the association. In her report to the association, Morin highlighted five Calls to Action: Education, Language and Culture, Professional Development and Training for Public Servants, Missing Children and Burial Information, and Business and Reconciliation. For each Call, Morin recommended practical ways the association might respond. You can read Morin’s full report, along with the full Truth and Reconciliation report, at egbc.ca/ truth-and-reconciliation. NEXT STEPS Council reviewed Morin’s full report and passed two motions at their meeting on June 15, 2018. The motions were to approve the relevant actions and recommendations in Morin’s report, and refer the report to the Professional Practice Committee to develop an action plan, including budget and resource implications, for Council’s consideration. j

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