National law conference unpacks in Saskatoon
Access to justice will be the most pressing issue for Canadian Bar Association conference delegates in Saskatoon this weekend, says CBA president Robert Brun.
“It is something we need to work on,” Brun said of courts both in Canada and throughout the world.
“How can we make sure the average citizens have their day in court and have access to lawyers in the process?”
The four-day legal conference is expected to draw 650 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and students from across Canada to downtown Saskatoon. Discussions will range from justice to the future of the law profession to the association’s stance on international human rights issues. It’s the first time the annual conference has been held in the city since 2001.
Brun said the CBA’s national council will view a report on access to justice Sunday. The council will then discuss how the CBA can better teach Canadians about their rights and how the CBA can better improve the average citizen’s ability to access a lawyer.
“It’s working with the government on access to legal aid funding, which has been significantly cut recently,” Brun said, listing areas where Canada can improve.
“(It’s working) with the government to simplify the rules regarding court procedures to make sure things flow better,” he said.
The CBA’s national council will also discuss how judges are appointed to Superior Court, among numerous other resolutions.
“There is concern there is not enough diversity,” Brun said of Superior Court appointments. “The resolution would like to see more diversity. That will be debated.”
Another resolution will ask the CBA to take a stance on anti-homosexuality laws in Cameroon, much like the stance the association took a few years ago when a member of the Ugandan parliament proposed a bill criminalizing same-sex relations.
“The CBA took a stance against the situation in Uganda. This issue has presented itself in Cameroon. This resolution asks us to condemn this,” Brun said.
Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin will open the conference Saturday morning at TCU Place with an address to the association’s national council.
Other speakers will include Justice Minister Peter MacKay and CBC’s Peter Mansbridge.
Brun is eager for MacKay, who was appointed justice minister after a cabinet shuffle last month, to address delegates Monday.
“We’re very excited,” Brun said. “The minute he was appointed, we invited him to join here.”
The CBA is the largest national lawyer association in Canada. It represents 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and students. The conference concludes Tuesday.