DVMAG welcomes new co-chair, highlights recent wins
By Ryan Melanson,
Trident Staff
The Halifax region Defence Visible Minorities Advisory Group (DVMAG) recently welcomed a new military co-chair, with Petty Officer 1st Class (PO1) Korey Tynes taking over the role from the outgoing co-chair, Officer Cadet (OCdt) Saif Morsy.
The switch was made official on August 29 by Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax Base Commander Captain(N) (Capt(N)) Annick Fortin. The occasion also served as an initial meeting between DVMAG leadership, including civilian co-chair Rene Gannon, and Capt(N) Fortin, who as Base Commander now acts as the local Champion for DVMAG. She thanked OCdt Morsy for his work in the role over the last three years, and welcomed PO1 Tynes, who has already been an active member of DVMAG, to the co-chair position.
The group explained the DVMAG mandate to advise leadership on issues impacting visible minorities and highlighted some recent local Employment Equity “wins”. These include the establishment of a full-time Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator position for Formation Halifax, as well as the new BIPOC Clinic offered by Canadian Forces Health Services Centre (Atlantic). The clinic is led by Nurse Practitioner Verena Rizg and is meant to serve the unique needs of members who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.
“This is the first of its kind in Canada, and it’s something we’d like to see at all bases across the country. It’s great to have the foundation for that here in Halifax,” PO1 Tynes said.
They also discussed issues with racial discrimination that many local Canadian Armed Forces members and DND civilians still experience, a lack of confidence in the processes in place for resolving racial discrimination issues, and the need for better understanding across the Defence Team on concepts like unconscious biases and microaggressions.
The Maritime Forces Atlantic Defence Advisory Groups are volunteer run and comprised of military and civilian members in addition to the co-chairs and senior leadership Champion. Visit https://tridentnewspaper.com/defence-advisory-groups/ for information on becoming a member and vacant co-chair positions. For more information on the BIPOC Clinic, call 902-721-8890.
