A personal account of contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion within the Canadian chemistry community

On June 14, 2022, at the Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Calgary, Alberta, I delivered the award lecture for the inaugural Canadian Society of Chemistry (CSC) Gilead Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The lecture was scheduled in a special symposium entitled, "Affecting Institutional Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Mindsets ", organized by Professor Stephanie MacQuarrie, Cape Breton University, Dr. Nimrat Obhi, Beyond Benign, Professor Dipesh Prema, Thompson Rivers University, Dr. Janelle Sauvageau, National Research Council, Dr. Bryony McAllister, Transport Canada, Professor Nola Etkin, University of Prince Edward Island, and Professor Jean-Denys Hamel, University of Lethbridge. Fig. 1 shows photos from the award reception with representatives from Gilead Sciences, the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC), and the CSC Working towards Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (WIDE) working group, then committee. This paper is an excerpt of the award lecture with a focus on my 10+ years of contributions to EDI within the Canadian Chemistry Community.