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www.canadianlawyermag.com 15 and support clean technology. Since then, the federal government has attempted to effect such policy change through the introduction of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, which received royal assent in 2018, Georgakopoulos says. "And the point of that act is to ensure there's a minimum national price on greenhouse gas emissions." Intervener interest in the case has been high, numbering about 25 in each case including multiple provincial attorneys general, environ- mental and Indigenous groups. The court's fall session — beginning early to allow cases to be heard that had been post- poned due to the COVID-19 pandemic — includes 29 appeals in total, 13 civil and 16 criminal. The Charter is at issue several times, including for a number of criminal matters, notably with respect to the right to trial by jury and the adoption of Bill C-75 last year, which eliminated peremptory jury challenges, and changes to the "challenges for cause" regime that give judges more discretionary power to bar jurors. R. v. Chouhan, to be heard on Oct. 7, will consider whether the C-75 legislation can be applied retroactively. CBA welcomes first Indigenous president Q&A Fast facts: » Years in law: 23 » Career highlight: Becoming the CBA president! » Career lowlight: Not yet seeing an Indigenous person appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada Bradley Regehr President CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION On Sept. 1, Winnipeg lawyer Brad Regehr became the first Indigenous president of the Canadian Bar Association. Regehr is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan bordering on Manitoba and a partner with Maurice Law, practising Aboriginal law, civil litigation and administrative law. He was called to the Manitoba bar in 1997 and has been a CBA member since law school, holding various leadership positions for the past 15 years including as chairman of the National Aboriginal Law Section, as a national board member and as vice president. Regehr also served as president of the Manitoba Bar Association for two years. What are your plans for the CBA? As part of our strategic direction, we have a big focus on young lawyers, engaging them and addressing the challenges that they face, and so that's an ongoing project. We also have a big focus on lawyers' wellness. Our main policy area this year will be focused on access to justice in the times of a pandemic. And then, of course, a big thing for me is our ongoing work on Truth and Reconciliation. We're doing good work, and I want to continue that good work. You are a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, but from Manitoba? The interesting thing about Peter Ballantyne is that it is on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. The Churchill River was our highway, so we have relations all up and down the Churchill River system. I was in a meeting in July with people from a First Nation in northern Manitoba, and I was talking to them after the meeting was done and the one guy said, 'You're from Peter Ballantyne' . . . and we started talking and found out we were related. I went into law wanting to work for Indigenous people and oriented my career toward doing that. And, so, I feel quite passionately about being an advocate for Indigenous people within the legal system. That's what I love doing. Alpha Adroit Forensic Engineering and Expert Opinion Alpha Adroit Engineering Ltd. • Expert Witness • Expert Opinion • Failure Investigation • Forensic Geotechnical Engineering • Remedial Geotechnical Engineering • Forensic Civil Engineering Construction For: • Litigation • Arbitration • Insurance claims • Failure Investigation and Repair www.alphaadroit.ca Toll-Free (Canada only): 1-844-423-7648 Edmonton: 780-708-4110 Calgary: 403-918-4110 Red Deer: 403-918-4115 Vancouver: 778-322-4110 Saskatoon: 306-881-4115 Fort McMurray: 780-607-4114 "The reference . . . before the Supreme Court is going to be an interesting and pivotal decision."