The Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch (CBA Alberta) congratulates The Honourable Mickey Amery on his appointment as Minister of Justice for Alberta, and welcomes several of the priorities outlined in his mandate letter, released yesterday.
CBA Alberta shares many of these priorities, including reviewing court resourcing and supporting further modernization of court infrastructure and streamlining the family court system, and making the system more accessible to Albertans through funding increases to the courts and to Legal Aid. We also welcome the recommendation to implement mandatory governance training for members of the Legislative Assembly, which was also made in our 2023 Agenda for Justice, released earlier this year.
Additionally, we call on the provincial government to support and expand our system of specialized courts, such as the Drug Treatment Court, Mental Health Court, and Indigenous Court. These courts provide a therapeutic approach to helping offenders reintegrate into their communities, which reduces recidivism rates, decreases the burden on our justice system, and makes our province safer.
The CBA Alberta will continue to offer our expertise in advocating for our members and our justice system. We look forward to working with Minister Amery to address these priorities, and others we have identified in our Agenda for Justice to advance meaningful change.
Amanda Lindberg
President, Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch