Canada's Access to Justice Week events promote Truth and Reconciliation, inclusivity and affordable justice for all Français
TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - The second annual National Access to Justice Week is taking place from October 25 to 29, 2021 in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. This year's theme is inclusivity with a focus on Truth and Reconciliation. Each province will host free, virtual events highlighting community justice work in Canada and the importance of inclusivity in providing legal services.
In addition to a full line-up of local events, Access to Justice Week will kick off on October 25 with a number of events focused on Truth and Reconciliation. The Law Society in Ontario will host a session about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) Calls to Action. This session, moderated by treasurer Teresa Donnelly, explores the TRC's Calls to Action relevant to the justice sector and examines the unique cultural, historical and socio-economic barriers that continue to impact Indigenous Peoples' access to and interaction with the Canadian justice system. The Law Society of Manitoba presents Access to Justice: Indigenous perspectives, a conversation with the Honourable Murray Sinclair; 2020 Canadian Bar Association (CBA) president and first Indigenous president in CBA history, Bradley Regehr; Dr. Cindy Blackstock, executive director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada; and special guest speaker Dr. Pamela Palmater. Later in the day, the Law Society of Ontario will host Building blocks: Towards cultural competency in the justice sector, which explores the TRC's Calls to Action 27 and 28 around building cultural competency training for lawyers and law students.
On October 27, the Law Society of Saskatchewan will present Developing and engaging in a Reconciliation mapping exercise, as part of its commitment to implementing the TRC Calls to Action. The program was developed and will be facilitated by the Office of the Treaty Commissioner to determine a baseline of reconciliation efforts and support the development of recommendations for forward progress.
Other highlights include the Atlantic provinces' Rural access to justice panel on October 27 and the Alberta panel discussing disability justice on October 28.
Licensees, members of the public and media are welcome to attend programming, free of charge. Space is limited so advance registration is required.
Full schedules of local activities, including some public-facing sessions, and more information about access to justice initiatives are available on the following provincial websites: Saskatchewan Access to Justice Week, Alberta Access to Justice Week and Ontario Access to Justice Week.
Canada's Access to Justice Week is a collaborative national event supported by CREATE Justice at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, the Law Society of Saskatchewan, the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch, the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, the Law Society of Ontario, and the Access to Justice and Law Reform Institute of Nova Scotia.
SOURCE The Law Society of Ontario
Media contacts by province: Alberta: Lee-Anne Hateley, Canadian Bar Association - Alberta Branch, [email protected] , 403-218-4310; Saskatchewan: Brea Lowenberger, CREATE Justice, [email protected], 306-717-8387; Manitoba: Deidre O'Rielly, Law Society of Manitoba, [email protected]; Ontario: Amy Lewis, Law Society of Ontario, [email protected], 416-947-3465; Nova Scotia: Ilana Dodi Luther, Access to Justice and Law Reform Institute, [email protected], 902-830-1854
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