Canadian Bar Association
banner
cba-news.bsky.social
Canadian Bar Association
@cba-news.bsky.social
We are the leader and voice of Canada's legal profession. | Suivez-nous en français: @nouvelles-abc.bsky.social
Tomorrow is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, a day to commemorate the 14 young women who were murdered at Polytechnique Montréal in 1989. 1/2
December 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Very concerned that Newfoundland & Labrador has indefinitely suspended several circuit courts and adjourned civil, small claims, traffic, and Contraventions Act matters in St. John's, Grand Falls-Windsor and Stephenville. Statement by CBA-NL: https://bit.ly/48TclQc
December 4, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Today, the CBA's Shelley Hounsell, KC, and Katherine Batycky will express support for the expansion of Unified Family Courts as part of the Senate's study of Bill C-15, the Budget Implementation Act. For more info and the live feed: https://bit.ly/48pfENu
December 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Quebec's proposed constitution has taken many by surprise, given the red flags it raises and the danger it presents to fundamental rights and freedoms, as well as the rule of law.

🎧 Read more and listen to the full episode of Verdicts & Voices: https://bit.ly/3KoYDeA
Quebec’s proposed constitution an ‘assimilationist policy’
Legal observers say Bill 1 raises many red flags, threatens Quebecers’ rights
bit.ly
December 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Constitutions aim to be unifying documents that reflect a people's common values and grand ideals. On the latest Verdicts & Voices, Alexandre Forest and Stéphane Beaulac argue that the Quebec government's proposed new constitution is anything but: bit.ly/3MoHvGl
December 3, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Animal law just hit a significant milestone with the launch this fall of the animal law program at the University of Toronto, the first of its kind in Canada. Read more about the program and why practitioners say it "legitimizes" the field: https://bit.ly/3MBCkTt
‘Animals need lawyers’
U of T’s new animal law program legitimizes field, practitioners say
bit.ly
December 2, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Consider supporting the Law for the Future Fund this #GivingTuesday: it has contributed to over 240 innovative studies, including work improving family law in Saskatchewan and building a virtual library of the rights of victims of crime: https://bit.ly/40X5cZx
December 2, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Do you know an individual or an organisation who has excelled in promoting equality in the legal profession, the judiciary, or the legal community in Canada? If so, we want to honour them! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ou6khx
December 1, 2025 at 7:30 PM
"You have every right to have some time for yourself balanced against the demands of your job."

Dear Advy gives advice on how to talk with superiors at you firm about taking a vacation: https://bit.ly/4rwmIAX
November 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM
🏆 Do you know a CBA member whose exceptional service throughout their career has advanced the goals and objectives of the CBA or the profession at large? Nominate them today for the Louis St-Laurent Award. Deadline is February 9: https://bit.ly/4945OAi
November 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Pro bono work is framed as a chance to make a difference and build skills, but if you want to do it well and sustainably, you're going to need systems that support you. ➡️ How early-career lawyers can set themselves up for a successful pro bono practice: https://bit.ly/4ij7RFv
How to build a sustainable pro bono practice
How early-career lawyers can set up successful and thoughtful pro bono work
bit.ly
November 27, 2025 at 2:30 PM
In a decision observers say paves the way for illegal detentions to be swiftly and robustly reviewed, the Supreme Court of Canada has found that prisoners can appear before a judge to challenge a refusal to change their security classification: https://bit.ly/4ptPakP
Supreme Court clarifies options for inmates to challenge security reclassifications
Prisoners now have the option to use habeas corpus
bit.ly
November 26, 2025 at 4:30 PM
🎧 Expanding notwithstanding rebranding? Once considered an extreme measure, the notwithstanding clause is being invoked more often by provincial governments, and federal politicians have been musing about it too. 1/2
November 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Passing the bar exam has long been a necessary step to becoming a lawyer in Canada, but is it the best way to test the readiness of a future lawyer? The latest episode of Verdicts and Voices looks at why several provinces and territories have ditched it: https://bit.ly/4rgGlwN
Bye-bye to the bar exam?
The latest episode of Verdicts and Voices looks at why several provinces and territories have already ditched it, and what they’ve replaced it with
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM
"There is no democracy that is safe from this. We are not immune."

Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Richard Wagner is sounding the alarm about the threats to the rule of law and judicial independence around the world: https://bit.ly/4ojh02u
Supreme Court chief justice says threats to rule of law ‘troubling’
Calls on judges, lawyers, and public to defend judicial independence and denounce attacks on institutions
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 3:15 PM
REMINDER - December 5 is your last chance to submit a resolution for the CBA AGM! https://bit.ly/48SsHGO

#CBAAGM
November 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The constitutional challenge to BC's new Legal Professions Act was heard over 3 weeks in October. On December 5, you can hear from four lawyers who argued the case about how it went.

➡️ Register for the online meeting, free for CBA members: https://bit.ly/3XfB3nu
November 24, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Lawyers write for a living. But too often, their letters look like weapons of war, not instruments of resolution. Brandon Hastings explains why defaulting to heavy-handed language is bad advocacy in this opinion piece: https://bit.ly/3Ka9Sar
Why civility matters
Civil communication is the backbone of persuasive advocacy and the credibility of the system itself. Our letters should look like instruments of resolution, not weapons of war.
bit.ly
November 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Democracies can quickly crumble if orchestrated attacks on the rule of law sow doubt among the public about the independence of institutions. UN Special Rapporteur Margaret Satterthwaite is among those trying to keep this from happening: https://bit.ly/4oqJesh
Recognizing threats to the rule of law
UN Special Rapporteur Margaret Satterthwaite on the autocrats around the world who are unleashing assaults on their legal systems
bit.ly
November 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The CBA is calling for changes to Canada's immigration system, one that is ill-equipped to respond to the surge of inquiries from trans Americans fearing violence and persecution: https://bit.ly/4rbTgje
A pathway to safety for trans Americans
The CBA is calling for changes to Canada’s immigration system as it’s ill-equipped to respond to the emerging crisis south of the border
bit.ly
November 20, 2025 at 8:00 PM
🎧 Is the bar exam the best way of ensuring the readiness of new lawyers? On Verdicts & Voices, Jennifer Pink of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and legal analyst Jordan Furlong discuss why several provinces and territories have ditched it: https://bit.ly/4oJHWt8
November 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This #TransgenderDayofRemembrance is an opportunity to reflect upon and honour transgender people whose lives were lost to anti-trans prejudice and violence.
November 20, 2025 at 3:18 PM
We thank everyone who applied to the CBA Viscount Bennett Fellowship. Now stay tuned! The winner will be announced by June 30, 2026.
November 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM
In case you missed it ➡️ Margaret Satterthwaite joined Verdicts & Voices to discuss her work as UN watchdog for the independence of legal professionals and her ideas for how to defend the rule of law.

🎧 Listen now: https://bit.ly/3JizdPn
A chat with Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers | Verdicts and Voices
How can we recognize and address threats to the rule of law? And how can lawyers persuade the public that judicial independence is everyone’s concern? UN Special Rapporteur Margaret Satterthwaite has some ideas.
bit.ly
November 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
A reminder that the deadline to submit a resolution for the 2026 AGM is December 5!

Have your say in the CBA: https://bit.ly/48SsHGO

#CBAAGM
November 18, 2025 at 1:15 PM