2018 is a special year for the CBA and OBA. It marked the 25th anniversary of the ground-breaking CBA Task Force report, Touchstones for Change: Equality, Diversity and Accountability and, directly following that report, the formation of the OBA Feminist Legal Analysis Committee, now the Women Lawyers Forum.
On Friday, October 12, the Canadian Bar Association and the Ontario Bar Association jointly celebrated this anniversary with two programs, followed by a reception, at the OBA Toronto office. The programming included members of the original CBA Task Force, the Hon. Judge Corinne Sparks, Dr. Sharon McIvor, Daphne Dumont, Q.C., and Dr. Melina Buckley, who came together to provide their insights and reflections on the work of the Task Force, as well as their thoughts and comments on the progress that has been made to date and the work still to be accomplished.
A subsequent panel engaged in an inter-generational discussion of issues addressed by the OBA WLF over the last 25 years, touching on topics including the law’s impact on women as litigants, the differing challenges faced by these women lawyers over the course of their careers and how OBA WLF has, since its inception, contributed to the progress made on these various issues.
The event was also made available via webcast to those unable to attend in person.
Photo (L-R): Daphne Dumont, Dr. Sharon McIvor, Melina Buckley, Justice Sophie Bourke, Judge Corinne Sparks