Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Perspective Statement

Cavernous Malformation Canada humbly and gratefully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land in Treaty 6 territory. Land occupied, travelled, and cared for by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial.

This place – ᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ, amiskwacîwâskahikan, Edmonton – is a traditional meeting ground, gathering place, and travelling route of the nêhiyawak (Cree), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, Dene, and Nakota Sioux. 

Our team seeks to identify barriers that exist within all our interactions as representatives of Cavernous Malformation Canada. We then take action to remove these barriers that prevent diversity, equity and inclusion towards fair and ethical decisions, opportunities, access and engagement with all persons.

We commit to being fair and impartial to all who engage with our organization. We know that each person brings their own unique potential, and we shall provide policies, programming and practices that not only welcome individuals as they are, we provide them with what they need. We welcome our responsibility of ensuring equal access to all.

We acknowledge that our strength lays within the people we serve in our community. We respect and value the diverse differences in race, ethnicity, religion and background, gender and gender identity, socioeconomic status, education and disability, among other aspects.

We are aware of the challenges people affected by cavernous malformation face. We are guided by the principles of respect and compassion so that all those that we interact with genuinely feel heard and enjoy a sense of belonging. Our approach remains genuine and deliberate as we develop, learn and expand due to the differences in perspective that we encounter. 

We take action via steps to address intentional and unintentional interactions that may not uphold our values and interferes with our perspective. We seek out people that offer perspectives that we may not be aware of. We actively listen, encourage feedback and participate in conversations that even if difficult, we embrace them as pathways to meet this commitment.

We recruit volunteers that broadly reflect the community we serve and the donors that choose us. We evaluate gaps in an ongoing manner towards rectifying our approaches. We formally and informally conduct ethics assessments in a safe constructive manner to keep our team on track. We review our statement quarterly and invite stakeholders, patients and families with cavernous malformation and the community to engage with us and provide their perspectives.

We seek out persons that are facing challenges due to difference and that may prevent them from accessing us and therefore become disadvantaged. We do not wait to be told; we pursue ways to reach them.

We listen to those we serve and interact with them from a position of what more can we do. We foster an environment that celebrates equity, diversity and inclusion and we remain steadfast and diligent in this commitment.