Dear Members,
Further to my last message, I want to personally update you on the decision made today by CBA President Michele Hollins, QC and draw your attention to this message posted on the National website.
Essentially, the CBA today announced that it was withdrawing its intervention before the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of Chevron Corporation et al v. Yaiguaje, et al. CBA’s Intervention Policy requires the Legislation and Law Reform Committee sanction the factum before it can be filed with the Court. In this case, the Committee concluded that while the factum was well-drafted and of a high standard of quality, it did not meet the specific requirements of CBA’s Intervention Policy. Consequently, under the terms of the Intervention Policy, the CBA came to the conclusion that without the certification of the factum, the Intervention could not move forward and would be withdrawn.
We understand that this decision may be disappointing to some members, as the initial decision to intervene was to others. What this specific intervention process has demonstrated is that CBA’S current Intervention Policy did not optimize and effectively address the diverse interests of our membership. This is why, in a letter to CBA members on October 1st, CBA President Michele Hollins, QC announced plans to convene stakeholder representatives to review the Policy to ensure that it best serves the advocacy goals and objectives of the Association.
As President of the BC Branch and a member of the National Board of Directors, I want to assure you that the many opinions of BC members will be represented in that review and I will continue to update you on the outcome.
I thank the many members that contacted me, and the other members of our BC executive, to express their views including comments on their respect for, and value of, what our branch and CBA provides.
If you have further comment or wish to speak with me at any time, I welcome your feedback at president@cbabc.org
Sincerely,
Alex Shorten
CBABC President