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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 5, 2010
OTTAWA – The launch of the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Class Action Task Force, a panel on the audit rules for lawyers and accountants, and a report by Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley are among the highlights at the CBA’s Mid-Winter Meeting of Council, Feb. 13 and 14, 2010, at the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa.
“The public is becoming increasingly confused and frustrated by jurisdictional wrangling that bogs down class actions in this country,” says CBA President Kevin Carroll, Q.C., of Barrie, Ontario. “We have created our Class Action Task Force to resolve the difficult problem of overlapping multi-jurisdictional class actions.”
Simon Potter of Montreal will launch the task force at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13. He will be available for questions following the presentation to Council.
In light of new international accounting standards, a CBA working group began the task of negotiating a new Joint Policy Statement on Audit Enquiries with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) last fall. The working group will report on its progress to date on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 11:10 a.m.
Chris Bentley, Attorney General of Ontario, will address Council on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 10:25 a.m. The newest member of the Supreme Court of Canada, Mr. Justice Thomas Cromwell will speak at the Council lunch on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 12:30 p.m. on the subject of Transitions: From Practice, to Law School to the Judiciary in Nova Scotia, to the Supreme Court of Canada.
CBA Council – the association’s decision and policy-making body – will debate policy resolutions during the course of the two-day meeting. One resolution calls for federal, provincial and territorial governments to harmonize pension legislation across Canada; another calls for the CBA to join the federal government and the international community to denounce Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009.
A panel on the State of Canada will offer a light-hearted and analytical perspective on the current political landscape. Featured speakers are Senator Hugh Segal, Senator Pamela Wallin and political strategist, writer and professor, Tom Axworthy. The panel is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13.
Sessions are open to accredited media. Council meets at the Fairmont Château Laurier in the Adam Room on Feb. 13 and 14. Please note all times are approximate and subject to change. Accreditation may be obtained by contacting Hannah Bernstein at 613-237-2925, ext. 146, until Feb. 11 or at 613-797-6322 from Feb. 12 to 14.
The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Bernstein
The Canadian Bar Association
Tel: 613-237-2925, ext. 146
E-mail: hannahb@cba.org
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