The Advocates' Society has established a
Modern Advocacy Task Force to make recommendations for the reform of the Canadian justice system. The Task Force’s recommendations will seek to combine the best measures by which Canadian courts have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic with other measures designed to ensure meaningful and substantive access to justice for the long term. The Task Force will deliver its final report in the Spring of 2021.
The Modern Advocacy Task Force is composed of a national group of members of The Advocates' Society's Board of Directors, 10+ Standing Committee, and Young Advocates' Standing Committee, with expertise in diverse areas of law. They will be guided by an advisory panel of some of the most respected jurists and counsel in our country, including former justices of the Supreme Court of Canada and current and former judges of provincial appellate courts.
For more information about the Task Force's mandate and composition, please see The Advocates' Society's press release about the Modern Advocacy Task Force in
English and
French.
In June 2020,
The Lawyer's Daily interviewed Guy Pratte, TAS President, Peter Osborne, chair of the Task Force, and Katherine Kay, vice-chair of the Task Force, about the Task Force’s aims.
Read the interview here.
Get Involved
The Modern Advocacy Task Force will be consulting extensively with stakeholders in the justice system to inform its final recommendations.
Virtual Town Halls
Seven different regions, one national conversation. Attend a virtual Town Hall and hear from, and share ideas with, Chief Justices, judges, and leaders of the bar. Your input will help the Task Force develop recommendations for ensuring meaningful and substantive access to justice over the long term. Registration is free of charge and open to members of The Advocates’ Society and non-member lawyers and judges.
Town Hall dates, locations and registration information here:
Ottawa/Toronto
January 18, 2021
9:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. ET
Atlantic Canada
January 19, 2021
1:00 p m - 2:30 p.m. AT
Alberta
January 20, 2021
12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. MT
Thunder Bay/Northern Ontario
January 21, 2021
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. ET
Windsor/London
January 22, 2021
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET
Quebec
January 27, 2021
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET
British Columbia
January 28, 2021
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PT
If you are unable to attend the Town Hall in your region, you are welcome to attend another region’s Town Hall.
Thank you to our Technology and Hosting Supporter Arbitration Place:
The Right To Be Heard: The Future of Advocacy in Post-Pandemic Canada
On September 29, 2020, the Modern Advocacy Task Force held its inaugural event, a thought leadership symposium called The Right To Be Heard: The Future of Advocacy in Post-Pandemic Canada. The symposium brought together lawyers, judges, and academics in a variety of fields, to talk about the future of oral advocacy in Canadian courts.
Please see the symposium agenda here. You can view the recorded webcast of the Symposium at the following link, free of charge:
Members of the Modern Advocacy Task Force