In light of the recent events in the United States and the unfortunate killing of yet another Black person at the hands of the police, the CMS acknowledges that these incidents are not isolated to the United States, and that Canada too has a long way to go to achieve racial equality. In these difficult moments, the Society stands in solidarity with our Black members and Black students all over Canada and denounces anti-Black racism, violence and injustice. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us in the society, mathematician or not, to take actions and measures to combat injustice and to close the historical racial gap here in Canada. Now is the time to change the course of the future. We firmly believe that Black and Indigenous youth are indispensable to the future of mathematics in Canada and can create meaningful changes to mathematics and the mathematical community. To reaffirm its commitment to equity and equality and to a better future for the mathematical community, and to engage a greater number of Black and Indigenous students in mathematics and STEM activities, the CMS will invite 200 Black and Indigenous students to participate in the Canadian Open Math Challenge and Canadian Open Math Challenge Junior at no cost.

We invite all math teachers and school principals to make their Black and Indigenous students aware of this initiative and encourage them to take this opportunity to take part in the competition.

About the COMC

The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC) is Canada’s premier national mathematics competition open to any student with an interest in and grasp of high school math. The purpose of the COMC is to encourage students to explore, discover, and learn more about mathematics and problem solving. The competition serves to provide teachers with a unique student enrichment activity during the fall term.

About the CMS

Founded in 1945, the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) promotes the advancement, discovery, learning and application of mathematics. The CMS promotes mathematics through a rich array of activities including scientific meetings, publications, awards, prizes, grants, camps and competitions.

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