News Releases

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 15, 2012) - As the youngest and fastest growing segment of Canada's population, Aboriginal youths represent a large pool of talent for Canada's workforce; yet they remain over-represented amongst Canada's unemployed.

To mark National Aboriginal Day and the 20th Anniversary of BMO Bank of Montreal's Aboriginal Banking Unit, speakers will take a fresh look at the challenges, opportunities and strategies needed to unlock the enormous potential that resides in Canada's Aboriginal youth.

WHAT: Members of the media are invited to attend a discussion of Aboriginal youth and education on Monday, May 28, 2012. The event will mark National Aboriginal Day and the 20th anniversary of BMO Bank of Montreal's Aboriginal Banking Unit.

WHO: Roberta L. Jamieson, CEO and President of Indspire. A Mohawk woman from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario, Ms. Jamieson will speak on the ways in which education must change to support the greater success of more Aboriginal youth.

Karen Hartley, Senior Vice President, Recruitment and Intake, BMO Financial Group, will speak about BMO's diversity and inclusion strategy, and the innovative approaches it is taking to expand the representation of Aboriginal employees in BMO's workforce.

Eric Tripp, President, BMO Capital Markets, will present gifts of $112,500 to Indspire and the Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth. The donations are funded by the Equity Through Education initiative, which is aimed at creating a more diverse workplace by offering support to help people realize their educational ambitions by providing those individuals with opportunities they might not otherwise have. Indspire and FAAY are two of the eight organizations receiving gifts funded by commissions earned on all institutional equity trades executed by BMO Capital Markets in Canada and the United States on October 4, 2011.

Journalists who are interested in attending can RSVP Carol Greene, BMO Media Relations, at 416-867-6597 or via email carol.greene@bmo.com.

About BMO and the Aboriginal Community

• BMO is one of the largest corporate contributors to the scholarship programs of Indspire (formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation) and the Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth (FAAY), providing funding to both organizations in support of Aboriginal high school and post secondary students.
• BMO has funded 386 Indspire and FAAY student scholarships since its Equity for Education initiative began in 2005.
• Started in 1992, BMO's Aboriginal Banking Unit has 12 on-reserve branches and a more than $2 billion business relationship with Aboriginal customers, providing jobs and loans and advice to on-reserve businesses.
• The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business has recognized BMO with the Gold Level of Progressive Aboriginal Relations Award for three consecutive award cycles.

About the Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth (FAAY):

Launched in 1994, FAAY is a national scholarship and bursary program administered by CCAB that responds to the critical need to assist Aboriginal high school and post-secondary students with bursaries and scholarships through the generous support of program sponsors such as the BMO Financial Group. Since the beginning, FAAY has assisted 1,818 Aboriginal students and awarded $3.2 million dollars in scholarships and bursaries.

About Indspire

Indspire is the former National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. Its new name combines the key notions of Indigenous and inspiration to highlight its exciting mandate. Indspire is best-known for its many programs that help Indigenous youth succeed. They include bursaries and scholarships, career conferences for youth, interactive classroom learning modules, the Indspire Institute and its Indspire Awards (formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards). Indspire's focus is on supporting, innovating, and fundamentally transforming Indigenous education.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly-diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $538 billion as at January 31, 2012, and more than 47,000 employees, BMO Financial Group provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.