On October 7th, the Canadian Bar Association sent an email to all its members to promote its Well-Being Hour. The title of the program was Working From Om: Lawyers Taking Their Well-Being Online. Even though we were well-intentioned, we acknowledge that we made a mistake with the name of the program and did not consider the fact that ‘Om’ is a spiritually and religiously significant word for Hindus and many adherents of other religions. The name of the program was immediately changed to Working From Home: Lawyers Taking Their Well-Being Online.
On behalf of the Canadian Bar Association, I offer a sincere and unreserved apology. For an organization that takes inclusion and diversity seriously, this was a clear and significant error. It serves as a reminder that as an organization and as lawyers we need to strive to do better if we want to fulfill our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. We appreciate the efforts of those who are helping us to continue that journey.