The Department of Chemistry is located on Treaty 1 territory and on the national homeland of the Red River Métis. We recognize the First Nations of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininewuk, Dakota Oyate, and Dene peoples and the Red River Métis who have conducted science here for hundreds to thousands of years.

Together, the students/trainees, staff and faculty make up our department. Each person’s unique background, experiences, abilities, and identities offer perspectives that are essential to our activities in learning, research and beyond.  For our Department to be whole, we strive to celebrate our entire community while being mindful of our diverse abilities, ages, cultural backgrounds, financial situations, genders, gender expressions, gender identities, nationalities, races, sexual orientations, spirituality, and ways of knowing.   Every person contributes meaningfully to our community.

Our core values are respect, inclusivity, empathy, supportiveness, and humility.  We strive to embody these core values in the classroom, the lab, or the hallway, where every shared interaction provides us with an opportunity to learn from one another. It is our responsibility to create inclusive and equitable environments to build a sense of community where individuality is celebrated.

To achieve equity, diversity, and inclusiveness (EDI), we commit to:

• consider EDI in all conversations and day-to-day activities
• implement regular EDI educational opportunities for all
• increase our awareness and understanding of EDI issues
• actively identify and work to remove systemic barriers towards EDI
• review and improve all procedures in our departmental operations with respect to EDI
• have representation that reflects the population of Manitoba and Canada

The broad background of the student population is at the core of our diversity and provides opportunities for a wider understanding of science and society. Many of the faculty and staff of our department have benefited from historical privileges and biases that allow them to share their abilities and knowledge freely in classes, research, and service. However, we recognize that historically marginalized groups’ perspectives are limited in the department. In our effort to create meaningful changes, we actively and openly support each other, including student-led initiatives that unify the department. Collectively, we aim to make our department a safe space, without judgement or repercussion, for all individuals to share their thoughts, ideas and perspectives.   

If you think that we have missed or misstated something, please contact us at chemdept@umanitoba.ca. Your courage to speak up helps us to learn more about EDI, so that we can grow together. Together, we are partners in learning and research.