Access to justice and maintaining the independence of lawyers continue to be top advocacy priorities. Here are a few highlights:

An Important Win for Family Law Legal Aid  

The B.C. government recently announced a $29.1 million investment to improve legal aid services for survivors of family violence. CBABC has pushed the provincial government for more investment in family law legal aid for decades, and the CBA intervened in the case arguing that the Centre for Family Equity (formerly Single Mothers’ Alliance) met the test for public interest standing in 2022. 

BC Budget Fails to Address Underfunding in Legal Aid

BC Budget 2024 did not include any legal aid investment for routine family law matters and government failed to heed CBABC’s call to remedy the underfunding of legal aid. B.C. remains the only province in Canada without legal aid for routine family law matters like spousal and child support, parenting arrangements or dividing debts and property fairly.

Modernizing Family Law

CBABC continues to contribute in consultations to modernize the Family Law Act. This includes a submission on provisions related to parenting arrangements, child-centered decision making and family violence. We are also responding to the BC Law Institute’s review of parentage under Part 3 of the FLA, as well as sending a letter to the Supreme Court of BC with recommendations to improve the availability and efficiency of Judicial Case Conferences. In December, our Family Law Committee delivered a submission to the Attorney General to improve the section 211 reporting process.

Access to Justice

To celebrate Access to Justice Week BC, CBABC supported a webinar series on how to improve the justice system through participant-centred decision-making. In the flagship event, “Finding Justice: Challenges and Opportunities in B.C.’s Legal Aid Landscape,” panelists discussed the state of family and civil legal aid.

The announcement from the Supreme Court of BC to move to online scheduling for civil and family matters is excellent news too. By fall 2024, trials and lengthy chambers hearings in civil and family matters will be booked online, along with all conferences. CBABC has long advocated for modernized court scheduling to improve access to justice and is preparing another related submission to encourage continued action.

Inclusivity in our Justice System

In early February, CBABC, the South Asian Bar Association of BC and the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (BC) Society delivered a letter to B.C. courts and tribunals with best practices to ensure all people who appear before courts and tribunals have their names pronounced correctly. Implementing these practices will improve the experience of Indigenous and racialized people and send a message that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity. The BC Supreme Court was the first to respond.