CBA Influence - Public Policy and Advocacy

If the UN were grading Canada’s mandatory reporting efforts under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, with a particular focus on its record in following the recommendations found in the Concluding Observations to its previous reports, Canada might struggle to get a pass if the grading were done on a curve, but otherwise it would edge into failure territory.

It’s a common refrain – the federal government needs to move on filling the country’s judicial vacancies – a total of 63 as of Dec. 1, 2017.

Everyone deserves to be able to do their jobs without death threats and acts of intimidation and violence – including lawyers working to support the rights of an Indigenous people against corporate interests.

Canada’s Official Languages Act turns 30 next year, and is beginning to show its age.

The CBA’s Pension Law Section commented in November on a discussion paper released by the Nova Scotia Department of Finance as part of a review of its pension funding framework and other related issues.

Federal legal aid funding has not kept pace with costs. There is a patchwork of legal aid assistance levels across the country. Federal money should be earmarked for civil legal aid. Money spent on legal aid saves money elsewhere in the social assistance system. Technological advances should be leveraged to improve access to legal aid services. National data collection should be improved.

A good host makes sure that there is enough food and drink and other amenities to make those invited to the party feel welcome and comfortable. Canada is in danger of being a bad host to its most recent arrivals.

If you have a sneaking feeling that you forgot to close out a bank account a long time ago, maybe in a province where you used to live, the Bank of Canada’s unclaimed balances registry can help you either set your mind at rest or set you on your way to reclaiming your cash.

Should mature minors or people whose sole underlying medical condition is mental illness be able to decide to seek medical assistance in dying? Should people with chronic conditions be able to make advance directives so that if they are incapacitated their wishes will nonetheless be carried out?

Canada has opened its doors and its arms and its borders to refugees.