Alberta law society upholds requirement for members to take Indigenous course
Posted February 6, 2023 3:02 pm.
The Law Society of Alberta motioned Monday to keep an Indigenous history and culture course requirement for lawyers in the province.
Around 3,500 lawyers voted, which would have struck down the society’s right to require such courses.
This arose after 51 lawyers signed a petition calling that right into question, with some of the signatories calling the required course political indoctrination.
The petition was defeated by a roughly three-to-one margin.
A letter signed by 400 lawyers was made public Thursday, along with 124 others involved in law, expressing support for the requirement.
In the letter, it says “the courtroom experience was made worse” due to lawyers not having any background on residential school survivors.
“The lack of sensitivity that lawyers often demonstrated in dealing with residential school survivors resulted, in some cases, in the survivors’ not receiving appropriate legal services.”
It also said the petition from the 51 lawyers was a “direct attack” on the Indigenous cultural competency requirement in the province.
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The motion means lawyers will continue to have to take the course as a condition of practising law in Alberta.
British Columbia’s law society has a similar requirement, and the Ontario society requires its members to take mandatory courses on sexual harassment and abuse.
