From the President & CEO

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report and the 94 Calls to Action.  Indeed, as our organisation and our country observe this important milestone in Canadian history, it is critical to reflect upon the truths we have learned and the actions we have taken over the past decade to collaborate with Indigenous-led partners and Indigenous Peoples in the communities we serve. 

As the first technology company in Canada to commit to a public Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan (IRAP) – developed in response to Indigenous-led frameworks – TELUS is honoured  to be on this journey of reconciliation, receiving guidance from the TELUS Indigenous Advisory Council, Indigenous leaders and communities, along with Indigenous team members, customers and partners.  We recognise, however, that there is much more work to be done.  In this regard, every member of our TELUS team will continue to listen to how we can incorporate Indigenous perspectives into our practices across our organisation

In our fourth year of the implementation of our IRAP, we are acknowledging our progress against our commitments.  I am pleased to highlight a sampling of key initiatives that have set precedents and inspired innovation across TELUS while deepening our relationships with the Indigenous governments, communities and businesses with whom we collaborate.

First, I would like to congratulate our team on marking 15 years of Eagles, TELUS’ resource group for Indigenous team members and their allies.  Eagles members are championing the integration of Indigenous Ways of Knowing into their programming and across our entire organisation.  Notably, their dedication to creating mentorship opportunities through the Pathways programme demonstrates their unwavering commitment to uplifting each other, whilst collaborating with mentors and subject matter experts across our company.  

Additionally, this year, we redesigned our first TELUS retail store as part of our commitment to placekeeping, following similar remodelling of a full floor in TELUS Harbour in Toronto and the central spaces of TELUS House Burnaby.  The TELUS store in Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver, B.C., which is on the X̱wemelch’stn lands, traditional territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) Nation, features artwork and photography from two local Indigenous artists, helping us to educate those who visit our store about the history and culture of the Squamish Nation.

Furthermore, the TELUS Environmental Solutions team has planted nearly one million trees in partnership with the Blood Tribe (Kainai First Nation) and Piikani First Nation in Alberta, achieving their tree planting-target ahead of schedule. The Kainai and Piikani First Nations have stewarded the lands for time immemorial and through the reforestation programme, we are contributing to the intergenerational impact of Indigenous-led environmental stewardship.  Importantly, partnerships like these, which are centred on self-determination and reciprocity, are yielding critical long-term benefits for Indigenous communities, including economic growth opportunities. 

Finally, our participation in the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union’s AI for Good Summit represented a major milestone on our ethical AI journey.  At the Summit, our Chief Data & Trust Officer, Pam Snively, and the key members behind our Data Ethics and Reconciliation strategies, led an interactive workshop showcasing our collaboration with Shani Gwin’s AI company, wâsikan kisewâtisiwin, to build ethical AI with Indigenous intelligence.  The summit provided an incredible opportunity to connect with leading technology companies from across the globe and share how our reconciliation commitment is shaping our approach to innovative technologies from within.  TELUS is integrating the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples into our technology and business practices as we leverage AI to benefit everyone.

The Canadian Council for Indigenous Business recognised the significant progress our team has made on our reconciliation journey – as evidenced by the recent examples noted above – by awarding TELUS a Silver certification under the Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations (PAIR) programme.  As we continue our reconciliation efforts, we will strive to achieve Gold PAIR status in the years to come.

Thank you for taking the time to read about TELUS’ reconciliation journey.  Whilst we know there is more to do, I hope you share my immense pride in the significant progress that teams across our business have demonstrated thus far.  We hope that by sharing our learnings, our peers and partners will join us on this tremendously worthwhile journey.

Darren Entwistle 

President and CEO 

Proud member of the TELUS team