Announcement: Name Update – Alberta 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce

Our organization, formerly known as the Alberta LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce (the “Chamber”), is pleased to announce its renaming as the Alberta 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce. This transition, formalized by a unanimous resolution from the Chamber’s Board of Directors, reflects a long-overdue step toward creating a more inclusive and representative organization that honours the Two-Spirit (“2S”) community and strengthens our commitment to reconciliation.

For those unfamiliar, “Two-Spirit” (“2S”) may refer to an Indigenous person who identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit, to describe their sexual, gender and/or spiritual identity. It has been overdue to correct the omission of 2S peoples in the Chamber’s branding, language, and story. This change is an acknowledgment of the work that remains to be done to build an Alberta economy that is inclusive, respectful, and engages in meaningful dialogue with 2S peoples and our Indigenous partners across this province. Today, we are pleased to take a step forward with our 2S and LGBTQI+ Indigenous community members in a meaningful fashion and in the spirit of reconciliation.

The Chamber has long stood for the principles of inclusion, equality, and opportunity in the Alberta economy of today. Alberta is home to Treaties 6, 7, and 8, comprising of no less than 48 distinct Indigenous nations across our treaty lands. Alberta is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, and together these nations characterize and form an essential component of the cultural fabric of the land we call home. The Chamber is fortunate to have the opportunity to engage our mandate of inclusion and equality on these lands that we all call home. 

As a chamber of commerce, relationship building is at the heart of what we do. We must always strive for our work to respect and empower the histories, languages, teachings, and cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. It is a fitting parallel then, that synchronous to this act of reconciliation, the Chamber has placed such a strong emphasis on the role of mentorship this year.

At its core, mentorship is relationship building, and in this spirit, we acknowledge the value of learning from one another’s experiences and perspectives. Indigenous cultures have long modeled this through community, elders, and intergenerational learning, where wisdom is shared and relationships are nurtured over time. This teaches us the profound importance of relationship building in creating supportive environments for growth and success.

By embracing these principles, we aim to build a business community that is inclusive, collaborative, and respectful of Indigenous ways of knowing. We are committed to engaging with Indigenous partners to center their perspectives as we work to build an equitable Alberta economy.

Historically, Indigenous Albertans, particularly those who are 2SLGBTQI+, have been excluded from economic prosperity, facing unique challenges related to colonization and intersecting oppressions such as sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia. These barriers contribute to higher rates of trauma, poverty, and lack of access to care.


Moving forward, the Chamber is deepening our relationships with Indigenous communities to ensure our economic inclusion efforts are informed by Indigenous perspectives. Through consultation and engagement, we will identify gaps in our approach and explore ways to better support Indigenous and Queer-owned businesses. The Chamber is proud and honoured to have Indigenous-owned businesses and entrepreneurs as members, and we acknowledge the responsibility we have to ensure reconciliation is an active and ongoing endeavour.

The Chamber looks forward to productive conversations in the immediate future, and will be releasing our 2S and Indigenous business inclusion mandate as we continue to learn and work in partnership with Indigenous Albertans. We are embracing this welcomed change to operate under a framework that better reflects our mission of inclusion, equality, and equity for all.  Our Chamber believes a fair economy is an economy that includes everyone in an equitable manner, and we look forward to continuing our work to make that a reality.   

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