President's Report

As this issue of Law Matters arrives on your desks, I will have recently returned from my travels throughout the prairie provinces, attending the mid-winter meetings of the Saskatchewan and Manitoba Branches of the Canadian Bar Association. One of the great pleasures of serving as President is the opportunity to meet members from across the country, and it was my pleasure to bring greetings on behalf of the Alberta Branch. I was also pleased to welcome CBA Branch Presidents from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, as well as the CBA National President, and National CEO to our January meeting of the Alberta Branch Council. As many provinces across the country share similar priorities and opportunities within the justice system, occasions where members from different CBA Branches can gather and share best practices are increasingly important.

The January meeting of the Alberta Branch Council was an important and engaging meeting, and our membership had the opportunity to review and debate the first proposal for our new governance structure. The Governance Task Force has been hard at work since this past summer evaluating our current governance structure and examining opportunities for improvement moving forward, and our Council had the opportunity to see the fruit of those labours last month. We received some excellent feedback from the members in attendance at the meeting, and encourage all CBA Alberta members to continue reaching out to the Executive Committee to provide their own input. The Governance Task Force will be taking all of this feedback, and returning with a revised governance model at the May meeting of Council. I particularly wish to recognize the members of this Task Force, and to extend my appreciation for their hard work and thoughtful approach.

Prior to our Council meeting on January 24, we celebrated the 2018 Distinguished Service Awards with a luncheon honouring the four recipients this year. Please join me in congratulating Wendy Best, QC (Service to the Profession), Brianna Guenther (Service to the Community), Ed Ma (Pro Bono Legal Service), and Professor Barbara Billingsley (Legal Scholarship) on their awards. Go to page 15 for a picture of all of our winners. I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to the Law Society of Alberta, who has been our long-time partner in the Distinguished Service Awards.

We are now just over a year out from the 2019 provincial election in Alberta, and justice issues are more top of mind than ever. From the Jordan decision to concerns with court resources, the modernization of the justice system, and the funding of legal aid, there is no shortage of matters to discuss with candidates in advance of the election.

Prior to the 2015 provincial election, the CBA Alberta released the Agenda for Justice, which addressed the justice issues of the time, and provided backgrounders and speaking points on each. We are now beginning work on updating this document before the next election, and we are encouraging all CBA members to provide their input on the justice issues that are closest to them. The current Agenda for Justice is available on the CBA Alberta website at www.cba-alberta.org/Our-Work/Agenda-For-Justice; please take a moment to review, and send in your feedback on the issues you believe we should be addressing during the 2019 provincial campaign.

On December 20, I had the honour of bringing greetings from the Canadian Bar Association to our new Chief Justice, the Honourable Mary Moreau, at her swearing-in ceremony. Justice Moreau is the first Francophone-Albertan and the first woman to serve in this position and the CBA looks forward to working with her in advancing our shared goals.

Prior to the New Year, we were delighted to hear that CBA Alberta past president Marian V. De Souza, QC, was appointed to the Provincial Court of Alberta for the Calgary region. Please join me in congratulating Judge De Souza on her appointment and wishing her all the best in her new position.

The provincial and federal governments are still accepting applications for vacant judicial positions in our province, and we urge those interested to consider applying. The new judicial  appointment process gives the government the opportunity to see a greater diversity of extremely qualified candidates, which can only serve to improve the administration of justice in our province and our country. More information on judicial appointments is available on the Alberta Courts website at albertacourts.ca/pc, or on the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada website at http://www.fja.gc.ca/appointments-nominations/index-eng.html.

This spring, we have an exciting new Savvy Lawyers Series webinar titled "As the Greeks Say, 'The Only Constant is Change.'" This webinar takes place on Friday, March 9, the day after International Women's Day, and addresses issues affecting not just the legal system, but our entire society, including unconscious bias, and diversity and inclusion. Please join us, and our distinguished panel that includes Lisa Tchir (Assistant Deputy Minister, Alberta Status of Women), Cori Ghitter (Director, Professionalism & Policy, Law Society of Alberta), and Gabrielle Battiste (Executive Director, Edmonton Police Commission). The event is available live at the CBA office in Edmonton, or by webcast for those members located elsewhere. For more information on this and past Savvy Lawyers Series webinars, please visit www.cba-alberta.org/SavvyLawyers.

As always, the Canadian Bar Association strives to bring value to its members. All members of the Executive Committee welcome your calls, emails and feedback generally, to help us make your organization the best it can be.