TORONTO, Feb. 1, 2021 /CNW/ - As part of Scotiabank's
commitment to inclusion for every future, the bank has developed a
first-in-Canada scholarship
program to increase the number of students pursuing a career in the
legal profession with the intent to become advocates for
anti-racism. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on
several factors including their demonstrated experience in
anti-racism advocacy and a clear articulation of how they will
leverage their legal careers to tackle systemic discrimination.
"Like banking, the legal profession benefits enormously from the
diverse perspectives of its members," says Brian Porter, President and CEO, Scotiabank.
"The Scotiabank Program for Law Students endeavors to give the next
generation of legal professionals a stronger voice and presence in
furthering the fight against racial discrimination. We are
confident that this first-in-Canada program will help create positive and
lasting change for the benefit of all Canadians."
The Scotiabank Program for Law Students will enable each
affiliated university to award one student per year a $10,000 scholarship renewable annually for the
duration of their three-year degree. Each scholarship recipient
will have the opportunity to meet with Scotiabank executives and
members of the legal community and select participants in the
scholarship program will be offered an internship opportunity at
either Scotiabank, a law firm or another legal advocacy
organization. A total of $540,000 in
scholarship funds will be awarded to 18 students throughout the
duration of the program.
Participating law schools are: University
of Alberta, University of
Victoria, McGill University,
University of Windsor, the Schulich
School of Law at Dalhousie University
and Osgoode Hall Law School at York
University.
As part of its goal to be the bank of choice for the diverse
communities it serves, Scotiabank has made several commitments to
address racial discrimination over the past year. In June 2020, the Bank contributed $500,000 to several organizations dedicated to
the elimination of racial discrimination, including Careers
Education Empowerment Centre for Young Black Professionals and the
Canadian Race Relations Foundation.
In addition, Scotiabank's President and CEO, Brian Porter, joined the board of the BlackNorth
Initiative and signed the CEO pledge, which committed to increasing
the percentage of Scotiabank employees that identify as Black to at
least 3.5% of the executive population and at least 5% of the
annual summer student population.
In addition to today's announcement, Scotiabank has also
committed $60,000 over the next three
years in support of Black Future Lawyers (BFL); a collaboration
between the University of Toronto
Faculty of Law, Black Law Students Association and members of the
Black legal community. The program aims to offer a series of
initiatives that provide engagement opportunities to Black students
during key periods: 1) high school, 2) undergraduate school and 3)
while applying to law school. Considered together, these
initiatives will form a continuous pipeline between grade 10 and
the legal profession. Scotiabank's support for BFL will focus on
amplifying interest among high school students in order to help
increase graduation rates within the community.
For more information on Scotiabank's community investment
programs, visit:
https://www.scotiabank.com/corporate/en/home/sponsorship-and-community/community.html
About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the
Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our
customers, their families and their communities achieve success
through a broad range of advice, products and services, including
personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private
banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.
With a team of over 90,000 employees and assets of approximately
$1.1 trillion (as at October 31, 2020), Scotiabank trades on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit
http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter
@ScotiabankViews.
SOURCE Scotiabank