Canadian Lawyer InHouse

7 CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE MARCH/APRIL 2019 A roundup of legal department news and trends sexual, transgender, intersex and two-spirit) communities, Indigenous peoples, racialized and ethno-cultural groups, and persons with disabilities. Diversity is to be interpreted consistent with the evolving nature of equality issues." "This is intended to give context to the various recognition references throughout the [CBA] bylaws of diversity," Lehal told the audience at the AGM. "It is hoped that this defi - nition will encourage the association not simply to be more diverse but to pay particular at- tention to increasing representations on the board, on committees and in the organization as a whole of persons from constituencies that are currently under-represented both in the CBA and in the legal profession as a whole." The CBA's equality subcommittee was tasked with developing the defi nition after the sug- gestion was made at the 2017 CBA AGM. The subcommittee, according to the motion mate- rials, consulted with the executives of the Women Lawyers Forum, the Young Lawyers Sec- tion, the Aboriginal Law Section, the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Section, the Chairs of Branch Equality Committees and the CCCA Diversity Committee. Jeff Howe, who seconded the motion and sits on the CBA board, also spoke when the mo- tion was tabled. The subcommittee "is the fi rst to acknowledge that our association still has a lot of work to do in the areas of promoting equality and inclusion," Howe said. However, CBA president Raymond Adlington "has made it his personal priority as presi- dent to advance equality and inclusive," said Howe. "Ray has taken taking the time to start a podcast series in this regard. . . . Our board is more diverse than it has ever been. We have elected a young woman of colour [Vivene Salmon] to be vice president. . . . And we are taking steps to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Com- mission's calls to action." Salmon, who is in-house counsel at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, announced the newly elected vice president Brad Regehr, who will take over Salmon's role on Sept. 1 when Salmon assumes the presidency from Adlington. Regehr is a partner at Indigenous law fi rm Maurice Law Barristers & Solicitors in Winnipeg and is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. Attorney General David Lametti also spoke at the AGM. He outlined the Trudeau gov- ernment's justice achievements under his predecessor Jody Wilson-Raybould, and he indi- rectly addressed the controversies currently in the news regarding her actions in the ongoing prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. "There has been a great deal of commentary recently about the role of the attorney general, one of the two roles that I perform as a member of cabinet in addition to being minister of justice," Lametti said. "I'm not going to comment on any issues currently in the news. But I do want to say this: It is important to remember that, while the attorney general sits at a certain distance from his cabinet colleagues, in Canada, unlike in other countries, he does not work in isolation from them or the important experiences or consid- erations that those colleagues bring to the table. These discussions can improve the quality of decision-making, but there is a line that cannot be crossed. Telling the attorney general what a decision ought to be, that would be interference. At the end of the day, I abide by the long-standing principle that when acting as attorney general I will apply my judicial mind to a decision and not my political mind." The CBA also passed two other motions without debate, which urged federal and pro- vincial governments to allocate "suffi cient resources to family law research" and "to adopt or amend legislation and policies limiting disclosure of non-conviction information in law enforcement databases." IH Women General Counsel Canada president's award winner T he 2019 Women General Counsel Canada President's Award was pre- sented in late January to Elspeth Hagan, general counsel, global compliance with McCain Foods Limited. The WGCC President's Awards are awarded annually to up to two women general counsel who have served on the WGCC Board and have, in the previous year, made a signifi cant contribution to the Mission of the WGCC at either the nation- al or chapter levels. Hagan has been involved with WGCC since 2016. Under her leadership, the WGCC Atlantic Chapter has become vibrant and en- gaged. They have partnered to put on some ground-breaking and important events, notably including the Practising Courage Conference (CBA-NB (WLF) and WGCC (co-chaired by Tiffany Mackay French, Mé- lanie Tompkins and Elspeth Hagan) and a fundraiser featuring Marie Henein to raise awareness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. A special fund was created for the Em- powerment and Education of Indigenous Women under the Fergusson Foundation (http://www.fergussonfoundation.ca/); the fund is approaching the goal of $50,000 as dona- tions continue to come in. Elspeth has served on the WGCC Conference organizing com- mittee each year since its inception three years ago. Elspeth is a diversity champion who has served on the WGCC Board and embraced its mission with great passion. IH From left Elspeth Hagan, McCain Foods Limited, and Cheryl Foy, past-president WGCC and GC UOIT. These discussions can improve the quality of decision-making, but there is a line that cannot be crossed.

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