IN MEMORIAM: KATHRYN SAINTY, K.C.
It is with heavy hearts that WLF mourns the loss of Kathryn Sainty, K.C., long-time CBA member, contributor, and former Chair of our Section.
In the words of Kamaljit Lehal, Member at Large:
We have lost a brilliant woman and an amazing human being. My dear friend and colleague, Kathryn ("Kathy") Sainty, K.C., gave unselfishly to the legal profession, serving in key roles on both the provincial and national Women Lawyers Forum. She advocated for an inclusive legal profession. She always made time to mentor and guide lawyers, she felt it was important to pay it forward.
In the recent Touchstones 30th Anniversary podcast, Kathy shared her hopes and advice for lawyers to “be polite, be fair and follow your heart.” Kathy also gave unselfishly to local boards and charities in her community. She was simply a remarkable person who left a positive mark on the world around her.
I have had the honor and privilege of knowing Kathy since I started my career as a lawyer, over 30 years ago. Kathy through her mentorship was instrumental in shaping who I am today. But she was more than a mentor, she was a true friend and like a sister to me. Together we shared lots of good times and laughter. I will miss her deeply, but I will hold onto and cherish the many fond memories I have of her.
ADVOCACY HIGHLIGHTS
We are thrilled that the Section’s resolution on abortion rights PASSED at the CBA’s AGM on February 8, 2024! This resolution makes it CBA policy to (1) oppose any efforts to restrict abortion rights and access in Canada, and (2) commit to working with governments and other stakeholders to expand abortion access across Canada.
This resolution is one of several amazing resolutions that were passed at the AGM to re-affirm basic rights. The WLF is grateful for the support of the Access to Justice Subcommittee, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance Section (SAGDA), and the Equity Subcommittee. A big thank you also to our executive members and CBA support staff who worked to get this resolution off the ground.
“THE MULTIVERSE LAWYER” – 2023 CONFERENCE RECAP
The WLF’s bi-annual conference was held on November 2-3, 2023, in Toronto. It was the first in-person event the national Section has held in four years and was a real success! The theme for the conference, “The Multi-Verse Lawyer”, explored the different roles we play as legal professionals, both on the job and in our personal lives (as we know the two can often become intertwined!).
The event kicked off with the launch of the Touchstones 30th Anniversary Podcast Mini-Series, where attendees got a sneak peek of the podcast and heard from Justice (retired) Bourque, one of the original Touchstones Report’s authors.
The next day, attendees heard from amazing panelists on topics such as navigating our roles as lawyers and caregivers, mentoring, being an activist, AI and what lawyering in the future may look like. Throughout the day attendees watched our artist in residence, Jessica Volpe, create an amazing painting which was later won by one of our panelists. Over lunch, attendees enjoyed a drag performance by the incredible Tynomi Banks, who presented Myrna McCallum with the Ceclia I. Johnstone Award.
The executive would like to extend an enormous thank you to the panelists, attendees and planning committee who made the conference the accomplishment that it was.
If you could not attend the conference, or if you did attend and would like to listen back, the recordings are now available.
TOUCHSTONES 30TH ANNIVERSARY PODCAST MINI-SERIES
This special podcast mini-series marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the “CBA Touchstones for Change, Equality, Diversity and Accountability Report”. Learn more about the context and history of this ground-breaking report on gender equality in the legal profession in these discussions between some of the original task force members, the lead author of the report and a diverse group of women lawyers.
SHATTERING THE GLASS CEILING IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION: TEACHINGS FROM THE TOUCHSTONES TASK FORCE – FREE WEBINAR – APRIL 12, 2024
Thirty years ago, the CBA’s Task Force on Gender Equality led by the late Madam Justice Bertha Wilson, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada exposed and sought to shatter the glass ceiling for women in the legal profession. Accused of being radicals and imagining problems, the trailblazing members of the Task Force released the 1993 Touchstones for Change: Equality, Diversity and Accountability Report (“Touchstones Report”) which explored discrimination against women and others in the legal profession who didn’t look like the traditional white male role model. The Task Force identified barriers faced by women and racialized individuals at all levels: barriers to entry into law school and a “poisoned” atmosphere in the schools; barriers to securing articling positions; as well as barriers to women’s success in private law firms and the judiciary.
The Touchstones Report sparked a three-decades long campaign for equity, diversity and inclusion, which continues to this day. In addition to the original Task Force members sharing their insights into the making of the Touchstones Report, we will hear from them about tools to identify and dismantle the glass ceilings for women and members of equity deserving groups.
Join us for this unique opportunity to hear from and engage with the original Task Force members.
This presentation is free for CBA members.
REGISTER NOW →
CBA WOMEN LAWYERS FORUM ESSAY CONTEST – WRITING THEM IN
Submissions for the “Writing Them In” essay contest are now open!
The award is presented annually for the best English or French scholarly paper received by the submission date on developments in Canadian law and/or Canadian legal history related to advancing gender equity, by an individual who is currently: a full-time or part-time student enrolled in a JD or LLB program at a Canadian law school; a National Committee on Accreditation candidate; or a student who is articling, or completing an equivalent program, in accordance with the requirements of a Canadian law society.
Papers are due May 2, 2024. We encourage all to apply!
CECILIA I. JOHNSTONE AWARD
The Cecilia I. Johnstone Award was established in 2007 to recognize women who have achieved professional excellence in their field and influenced other women to pursue legal careers, supported other women in career advancement or opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them. It is named to honour an outstanding lawyer, judge, CBA President, woman and friend who passed away April 15, 2006.
The WLF is pleased to announce Myrna McCallum as the 2023 winner of the award. Myrna is an award-winning podcaster and leading champion of trauma-informed lawyering. She is the host of “The Trauma-Informed Lawyer” Podcast and acts as a subject matter expert on trauma-informed policy, procedure, and process. Myrna also offers training courses on trauma-informed engagement for leaders, policy makers, police officers, lawyers and judges. Please join us in extending our warmest congratulations to her!
MADAM JUSTICE
The Madam Justice project is an online gallery presented by our Section in collaboration with the Judges Section. The project is intended to celebrate diversity on the bench by showcasing advice and perspectives from women judges across Canada. The project is ongoing, and we will be adding more profiles to the gallery over time.
Check out the latest profiles in the gallery.
MOVING FORWARD
On November 2, 2023, executive members of our section attended an in-person facilitated session with Kate Moore of Vital Shift Consulting, as another step in our journey to make the WLF more inclusive. Please stay tuned for more details.
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Thank you,
Catherine Ewasiuk (Vancouver, BC)
Chair, 2023-2024 CBA Women Lawyers Forum