By Ola Malik
The focus of this issue of Law Matters is on the public’s ability to access timely and responsive justice through our courts system. As your President, I wanted to take a moment to speak to you a little more about CBA Alberta’s role in advocacy.
The CBA is the only national association with a mandate to protect the professional and commercial interests of the legal profession and to promote the Rule of Law. As lawyers, CBA members have an interest in ensuring the system of administration of justice is as effective as it can be. As taxpayers, we have an even bigger interest in the return on investment that is provided by an adequately funded and appropriately functioning justice system.
CBA Alberta represents over 5,300 lawyers across Alberta and the nature of our membership means that our members reflect diverse perspectives. Our members have significant experience and expertise from a variety of points of view, some of which may be oppositional. While this can make policy development more challenging as we strive to represent our membership and advocate on behalf of the justice system, in the end it makes CBA’s input more valuable in terms of identifying principles that most of the legal profession would agree are important.
The President is the designated spokesperson for CBA Alberta and generally makes statements and submissions on behalf of the branch, while the Board is the directing mind of CBA Alberta and ultimately responsible for strategic directions in accordance with its mandate and values. The development of our advocacy relies on the work of the Agenda for Justice and Advocacy committee, as well as the many subject matter experts within our various Sections. Sections are encouraged to make approved submissions to a public body or statements to the media on behalf of CBA Alberta. It is important that statements and submissions reflect the will of the members, be consistent with CBA objectives and goals, and maintain accountability for content. The Agenda for Justice committee recently completed work on updating the guidelines to assist Sections in preparing statements and ensuring adequate consultation across CBA Alberta before finalizing the statements, and Section chairs and those interested in pursuing public statements and submissions should familiarize themselves with this policy.
The Agenda for Justice committee is also the guardian of the Agenda for Justice policy. The committee worked hard prior to the 2019 provincial election to refine the various issue backgrounders, such as access to justice, Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action, resources for the justice system, family justice, drug treatment courts and judicial independence. It was relaunched as Justice Matters: An Agenda for Justice and once the provincial writ dropped, we held a media event on April 2, 2019 to raise the profile of these justice issues. CBA Alberta received media coverage across the province and the media then followed up to elicit comments from major party leaders on our concerns raised over resources for the justice system. The Agenda for Justice was also provided to all parties and lawyers running in the election. We strongly believe these efforts raised our credibility as an advocate on justice issues in Alberta, acknowledged by our meeting with Minister of Justice & Solicitor General Doug Schweitzer within a week of his appointment. The full Agenda for Justice is available online at https://cba-alberta.org/Our-Work/Agenda-For-Justice.
Through our public policy and advocacy work, the CBA promotes lawyers’ interests and protects the legal profession’s core values from regulatory and legislative encroachment. By bringing lawyers’ perspectives to the public debate, we strive to improve the law and the administration of justice, and to promote equality and access to justice. The ever-increasing pressure on Alberta’s justice system—due to funding deficiencies, budget cuts, and lack of investment in infrastructure and technology—significantly and negatively impact the efficiency and effectiveness of the justice system in Alberta. CBA Alberta has a role in advocating for change.
Because of you and our diverse, experienced, knowledgeable and passionate membership, our voice is powerful and credible on legislative, regulatory and policy development. We invite you, through your interest and involvement as a CBA member, to continue to strengthen that voice.
If you are interested in contributing to the advocacy efforts of CBA Alberta in a meaningful way, I encourage you to get involved. This can be as simple as putting you name forward for the Agenda for Justice and Advocacy committee, or by being elected to our Board of Directors. By the time this issue lands on your desk, we will have recently held the first annual general meeting under our new governance structure – this is an excellent way to meet fellow CBA Alberta members, the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and contribute to the conversation about the direction of your CBA Alberta. In May, we will host our first Leadership Forum, which will bring together CBA Alberta members for a day of networking and leadership development.
On April 1, nominations will open for the CBA Board and Secretary elections. All that is required to submit a nomination for these positions is that you are an active member of the CBA. More information will be available to all members shortly. In the meantime, I invite you to contact me or any other member of the Board or Executive Committee to discuss the roles and responsibilities of CBA Alberta Board members. See page 26 for more details on the upcoming elections.
As we begin this new decade, I am inspired by the work of our members to continually advocate for our profession, for access to justice, and for the Rule of Law. It is because of the efforts of our members that CBA Alberta can continue to bring value to lawyers across our province, and I thank you all for the work that you do. As always, all members of the Executive Committee welcome your calls, emails and feedback to help us make your CBA Alberta the best it can be.
Ola Malik is the President of the Canadian Bar Association - Alberta Branch. He is a lawyer in the Law and Legislative Service Department at the City of Calgary where he practices regulatory law, conducts Charter litigation and provices a broad range of in-house advice. Ola serves on the boards of various organizations including Calgary Legal Guidance and the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Association.