Many B.C. companies and brands are taking the opportunity to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community in June by launching initiatives and campaigns that coincide with Pride Month.
“Partly the cost-of-living crisis and general economic situations that people are in,” said Blain. “People, for a long time, have been asking for corporations to put their money where their mouth is, to donate to non-profits and invest in that work without necessarily having to put their name all over it.”
It’s important for companies to put new policies in place to be more inclusive of the community, said Pichette, who added that organizations that are promoting Pride but not creating real change will make their LGBTQ+ employees feel more excluded, and will make their initiatives look performative and inauthentic.
This month, RBC changed its policies and procedures around account openings to remove barriers that existed for clients whose gender is not listed on their identification. This change came after listening to people in the community, said Sam Wong, B.C. regional manager of advisor enablement at RBC.