The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/1149701
SPECIAL REPORT 32 www.canadianlawyermag.com TOP 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL Changemakers REBEKA BREDER Founder, Breder Law, Vancouver Rebeka Breder's passion for animal protection started at an early age. She is now a trailblazer in developing animal law in Canada and is one of the very few lawyers in the country to have an exclusive animal law private practice. In the last 18 months, Breder has taken on a ground-breaking case for the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition in which it is suing the Canadian federal government over the way it transports horses for slaughter; it is the first time an animal protection group has sued the government over the transportation of animals in Canada. She has also co-organized the first Canadian CBA/ABA animal law conference, where speakers and guests from across Canada and the U.S. attended. In that same time, Breder has given more than a dozen animal law lectures internationally. Breder is also a founder of the UBC Animal Law course, for which she was previously an adjunct professor. She also founded the first animal law section of the Canadian Bar Association in Canada and is the founder and current chairwoman of the animal law section, B.C. Branch. Government/Non-profits/Associations MEARA CONWAY Legal Aid Saskatchewan, Regina As staff solicitor, Legal Aid Saskatchewan, Meara Conway is counsel for Indigenous activists involved in the Justice for Our Stolen Children Camp, which had set up a teepee at the Saskatchewan Provincial Legislature in response to the acquittals in the cases concerning the deaths of Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine. Conway is also an advocate against cuts to legal aid in the province and appears in media as a source and columnist. Conway is the local vice president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents Legal Aid Saskatchewan. She has been outspoken on the issue of cuts to Saskatchewan legal aid services and for the rights of prison inmates. She was formerly a criminal and constitutional lawyer in Toronto. Government/Non-profits/Associations SONIA LEBEL Quebec Justice Minister, Quebec City Quebec Justice Minister Sonia LeBel is overseeing plans for the possible creation of a new division in the Court of Quebec to handle cases involving sexual assault and domestic violence. The special court was proposed by Parti Québécois MNA Véronique Hivon, and Premier François Legault has suggested he is open to the idea. LeBel spent 20 years working as the director of criminal and penal prosecutions, specializing in drug-related and organized crime. She has initiated public consultations on family law reform to discuss parenthood, conjugal relationships and relationships with step-parents. With the consultations, LeBel is following up on the 82 recommendations from a 2015 report on family law in Quebec. LeBel rose to prominence as chief prosecutor in the Charbonneau Commission. She is a member of the Coalition Avenir Quéebec.