The Annual General Meetings of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch and the Law Society of BC were held on Friday, September 25, 1998 at the Law Courts Inn in Vancouver. Members joined in the afternoon meeting from tele-remote sites in Victoria, Campbell River, Kelowna, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Nelson, Dawson Creek and Kamloops.

At the morning CBA meeting, National President Barry Gorlick, QC addressed members, expressing appreciation for the Branch’s many contributions to the strength of the national association. Past President Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay sent a message of congratulations to the volunteers and staff of the Branch for a successful year of advocacy activities and expanded member services. Current President Doug F. Robinson, QC expressed his enthusiasm at being “lead rower” for the coming year, and committed to putting initiatives into play beyond a one-year agenda, with long term payoffs for the organization. Past Treasurer Judith Milliken reported on the Branch’s current financial strength, following a year of careful money management and an ongoing search for efficiencies.

Kenneth Armstrong, Chair of the Westminster Young Lawyers Section, introduced a resolution to establish a Young Lawyer representative on the Executive Committee of Provincial Council. Citing the need to reach out to young lawyers (less than seven years call, representing a significant proportion of the membership) and the need to ensure that the Branch stays relevant to their needs, Mr. Armstrong made a strong case for the need for Executive Committee representation. The resolution passed with a significant majority.

At both Annual Meetings, resolutions were passed calling on the Government to put the total revenue from the seven per cent tax on legal fees, and from federal government transfer payments for Legal Aid, into Legal Aid services as promised. David Griffiths, of the Association of Legal Aid Lawyers, spoke passionately and eloquently regarding the ongoing battle for ensuring legal representation for those who cannot afford it. The resolutions passed with massive majorities.

The critical issue of the day, of course, was the resolution regarding universal CBA membership. Once again, there was an attempt to persuade members that universal membership is not in our best interest, and may perhaps be unconstitutional. Branch President Doug Robinson, QC, and many members from across BC spoke in support of universal membership. “For more than 50 years, our members have held a democratic vote on the membership fee, and they have always chosen to support it,” said Mr. Robinson. 1998 was no exception: the practice fee resolution passed with no difficulty; the resolution calling for a referendum on CBA membership was defeated by a significant 203 to 24.

The CBA (BC) Benevolent Society won a major victory in its effort to build a strong capital pool for the Benevolent Fund: the 1998/99 practice fee will include a one-time $80 special assessment for this purpose. Resolution mover and seconder J. Gary Cohen, QC and Terry La Liberté, QC asked for--and received--member support to get the Fund quickly capitalized rather than prolong the effort. Longtime activist lawyer Dugald Christie sponsored a successful (albeit slightly amended) resolution on pro bono work, which commits the CBA BC Branch and Law Society to further the development of pro bono programs and to encourage member participation in them.

We sincerely thank all members who took time out of their work day to attend the CBA BC Branch and Law Society meetings.

This article was published in the October 1998 issue of BarTalk. © 1998 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.