Initiative aims to address representation gaps, inequitable career outcomes, cultural barriers
The Canadian Bar Association’s British Columbia branch (CBABC) has unveiled “A Legal Profession for Everyone,” a three-year action plan for promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and addressing barriers to these goals within the province’s legal profession and justice system.
“This plan sets out the steps CBABC is taking to help strengthen a legal profession where everyone, especially historically excluded people, has the opportunity to thrive,” said Patricia Blair, CBABC president, in a media release.
Of CBABC members responding to a recent survey, 71 percent faced or witnessed discrimination or equity-related barriers, and 82 percent believed that their workplace failed to respond effectively to discrimination or harassment issues.
Aims of EDI action plan
CBABC explained that the new action plan aims to:
- Set CBABC’s EDI priorities and commitments for 2026–29
- Inform CBABC’s member programming and resources
- Complement CBABC’s reconciliation action plan, which focuses on Indigenous peoples
- Drive cultural and structural changes across workplaces, institutions, and systems
- Tackle representation gaps, inequitable career outcomes, and cultural barriers impacting the province’s lawyers, particularly at the intersections of race, gender, Indigeneity, and disability
“Lawyers should be able to build successful practices and contribute to their communities without facing barriers to career advancement and belonging,” Blair said in CBABC’s media release.
CBABC noted that the EDI action plan considered internal feedback, external expert consultation, and a review of similar legal profession initiatives.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion actions
According to the EDI action plan, CBABC strives to amplify the voices of its members, including by:
- pushing for an EDI competency requirement to normalize inclusive practice standards
- advocating for more diversity among judicial appointees and administrative tribunal members
- promoting the collection and disclosure of diversity data
- considering the consequences for equity-deserving people when developing policy recommendations
The action plan aims to help CBABC foster a connected and inclusive membership by:
- fortifying relationships with equity-deserving professional associations and groups
- offering in-person events, virtual roundtables, and an online community platform to advance EDI
- developing the internationally trained lawyers employment campaign
- supporting identity-based sections
- establishing model workplace policies, complementary toolkits, and religious and cultural inclusion guides
- annually reviewing EDI resources
The action plan seeks to promote CBABC’s sustainability as a lawyers’ professional association in the province by:
- assessing efforts for more diversity across CBABC’s Provincial Council, board of directors, section executives, committees, and section and professional development speakers
- periodically reporting on diversity metrics
- improving CBABC’s Events Accessibility Policy and Communication Style Guide
- making CBABC’s website more accessible
- ensuring that CBABC’s policies and procedures value diverse lived experiences and perspectives
More news on Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia
Here are some other recent news stories involving the CBA’s BC branch.
Last February, on behalf of CBABC, Blair expressed condolences to those grieving in the wake of the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School mass shooting.
In January, on CBABC’s behalf, Blair criticized the BC government’s plan to restrict British Columbians’ ability to take their disputes to independent courts through amending the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
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