The CBA Welcomes the new Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada.

Via email: Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, P.C. M.P.

Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada

House of Commons

Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Guilbeault:

On behalf of the Equity Subcommittee, the Women Lawyers Forum, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance, and the French Speaking Common Law Members of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA Groups), we congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada. We would like to help advance key priorities within your portfolio and would welcome an opportunity to meet with you to discuss how we can support your work.

The CBA is a national association representing 40,000 members, including lawyers, judges, notaries, academics and law students, with a 120-year-old mandate to seek improvements in the law and the administration of justice. The Equity Subcommittee is dedicated to achieving equity in the legal profession, in particular on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, age or disability. The Women Lawyers Forum is an inclusive space for women lawyers to share experiences, build skills and advocate for change in the legal profession and Canadian society. The Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance is a forum for the exchange of information, ideas and action on legal issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity. The French Speaking Common Law Members promotes and defends the values of bilingualism and bijuralism in Canada and within the CBA.

Your new role encompasses a broad and critical mandate, from preserving and promoting Canadian cultural heritage and identity, to overseeing Parks Canada, advancing gender equality through Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), ensuring strong governance on official languages through the Office of the Commissioner for Official Languages, and serving as the federal government’s primary liaison with Quebec. Many of these priorities align with the longstanding advocacy of CBA Groups, including our work on gender equality, official languages, the protection of cultural heritage, and access to justice, making us a valuable partner in supporting your mandate.

As strong advocates for gender equality, both in the legal profession and in broader society, the CBA Groups have urged action on pay equity, reproductive rights, and trans rights, recognizing that systemic barriers continue to hinder true equality. We look forward to collaborating on the implementation of the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on Canada's Approach to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and to engage on initiatives such as the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan and Federal Action Plan on Gender Based Violence.

The effective implementation of Canada’s commitments to bilingualism requires strong and consistent governance. As your portfolio includes oversight of the Office of the Commissioner for Official Languages, we look forward to the appointment of a new Commissioner of Official Languages, who will have a critical role in acting upon and implementing the various measures arising from the recent amendments to the Official Languages Act. As always, the CBA looks forward to working with you and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages to support policies that uphold and promote linguistic duality.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss these issues and explore how we can work together in the months ahead.

Kind regards,

(Original signed by Véronique Morissette on behalf of Carley J. Parish, Kyla M. Lee, Charles Easton and Denis Frawley)