Submitted by Section Co-Chair, Rajwant Mangat
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 5
August 30, 2012
Guest Speaker: N/A
Synopsis: This was a social meeting held jointly with the Social Justice Advocacy Network. The meeting was convened as a networking event for lawyers and students with an interest in social justice law and for an informal discussion of issues that arise in this practice.
December 5, 2012
Guest Speaker: N/A
Synopsis: This was a social meeting held jointly with the Social Justice Advocacy Network. The meeting was convened as a networking event for lawyers and students with an interest in social justice law and for an informal discussion of issues that arise in this practice.
February 5, 2013
Guest Speaker: Elin Sigurdson, Kasari Govender, Megan Vis-Dunbar
Synopsis: This was a joint meeting of the Social Justice, Administrative Law, and Constitutional/Civil Liberties Sections featuring a panel discussion with counsel concerning the implications of the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Canada (A.G.) v. Downtown Eastside Sex Workers United Against Violence Society, 2012 SCC 45 ("SWUAV"). The panelists discussed the test for public interest standing emerging from the Supreme Court of Canada in the SWUAV case, and its implications for future public interest litigation.
March 14, 2013
Guest Speaker: N/A
Synopsis: This was a social meeting held jointly with the Social Justice Advocacy Network. The meeting was convened as a networking event for lawyers and students with an interest in social justice law and for an informal discussion of issues that arise in this practice.
June 26, 2013
Guest Speaker: N/A
Synopsis: This meeting was convened for the purpose of choosing the 2013/2014 Section Executive. It was followed by a social meeting held jointly with the Social Justice Advocacy Network.
Comments and Observations of the Chair
This was a busy year for the Social Justice Section. Along with holding a meeting on the implications of the new test for public interest standing established by the Supreme Court of Canada, the Section continued its long-standing tradition of hosting informal networking meetings with members of the Social Justice Advocacy Network to bring together lawyers and students with an interest in social justice. As always, these meetings provide for fruitful discussions about issues that arise in practice and help introduce students and new practitioners to the community of lawyers and advocates working in the field.
The Section was also active in advocating that a course titled "Access to Justice and the Future of the Legal Profession," offered by the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Law, incorporate the perspectives of social justice practitioners. To that end, the Section submitted a letter to the Dean of the Faculty of Law on August 29, 2012 articulating our concern that the faculty lacked balance, and offered our assistance with arranging guest speakers who have done significant work on behalf of marginalized clients seeking to access the justice system. As a result, two members of the Section's executive taught a three-hour seminar to the course on November 14, 2012. More recently, members of the Section volunteered to run a poverty law simulation at the CBA's Envisioning Equal Justice Summit on April 27, 2013.
This was my first year of (hopefully a long) involvement with the Social Justice Section. Being a relatively small Section, we have a very collegial and connected culture, whereby members have access to a wealth of knowledgeable and passionate professionals who are committed to working collaboratively. The Section brings a unique perspective to broader issues facing the legal profession, particularly access to justice. This perspective is steeped in engagement with low-income and other marginalized clients on an on-going basis.