Happy New Year to all my CBA friends and colleagues!
Many years ago when I decided to run for the Executive of the Alberta Branch, I was well aware of the fact that the job entailed a significant amount of time and effort. I also suspected that role would be a rewarding one. I can tell you absolutely, that I was correct on both counts.
I am about to embark on 6 weeks of chaos on behalf of CBA members which includes 6 trips to various parts of our country, with the Alberta Law Conference directly in the middle of this.
There are a variety of things going on at this time that are of great importance to CBA members across the country. This includes establishing a firm grounding for a brand new relationship with new governments both at the federal and provincial levels, a number of intervention proposals at the Supreme Court of Canada, and perhaps most importantly for the future of the CBA, the national Re-Think project which is considering options for the complete restructuring of the Canadian Bar Association.
As many of you know, our Past President Steven Mandiuzk, QC, has been in charge of the steering committee which has been charged with the majority of the work in completing this review. His exceptional efforts have reflected well on all of CBA Alberta and he deserves our gratitude for his efforts. If you get a chance, you should thank him for his outstanding effort.
In addition, the Alberta Executive has taken a number of additional steps to increase and improve the recognition given to CBA Alberta volunteers. This is has included several one-on-one meetings between members of our Executive and our Section Coordinators, with the Chairs of various CBA Alberta Sections. We have discovered that many of these Section Chairs struggle with the same issues but have little opportunity to share experiences, both good and bad, that might assist them in their difficult jobs. The efforts we have made to share ideas appear to be a value to everyone and as a result, we intend to continue these efforts and try to find some way of expanding them. This will be one of the tasks of our Engagement Task Force which we are in the process of creating.
We also have the pleasure of welcoming the new Diversity Section to our family. In addition, as a result of communications with several CBA members, it seems likely that a new Internationally Trained Lawyers Section will be created in the future. These developments highlight the fact that the CBA exists for the benefit of its members and where there is a need, along with a request by our members to fill a gap that would assist them in their professional lives, the CBA will move quickly to address those needs.
In light of the current economic climate, we at the CBA are sensitive to the challenges that our members are facing. We anticipated, as a part of our budgeting process, that our membership would drop, perhaps significantly, as a result of these challenges. It is a great testament to the value offered by a CBA membership that we have only seen a slight decrease in membership this year. In fact, we are hopeful to recover this membership over the coming months. We are more dedicated than ever to providing outstanding value for our members, both directly and indirectly. For example, CBA members are eligible to receive insurance through the Canadian Bar Insurance Association, which offers a wide range of products designed specifically with the needs of legal professionals, their families and staff in mind. We have heard from members who have saved as much as $1,800 annually by switching to insurance with the CBIA.
On the advocacy front, the CBA is involved in several interventions at the Supreme Court of Canada, a number of which deal with the protection of solicitor-client privilege. Our Sections and Executive Committee also meet regularly with provincial and federal governments concerning a variety of legislation each year. Without participation by the CBA, there would be no one to intervene on behalf of the profession to protect our interests. There are few non-governmental groups in Canada that have had a bigger impact on the law in Canada than the CBA. The number of volunteer hours contributed by hundreds of volunteers in Alberta alone for the benefit of CBA members and legal professionals is staggering. I applaud all of these volunteers for their contributions to the profession. If you are interested in becoming more involved in the advocacy efforts of the CBA in Alberta, I encourage you to contact one of our local offices for more information.
In closing, I would be remiss to not express my thanks for being permitted to serve as CBA Alberta President this year. I would like to thank each of the members of the current Executive Committee, including our Executive Director Maureen Armitage, each of the past presidents that I have worked with, as well as all of the staff in both our Edmonton and Calgary offices. I would also like to extend my thanks to Law Society of Alberta President Jim Eamon, QC and the incoming president, Anne Kirker, QC, Michele Hollins, QC for her work as the past national president of the CBA, as well as current national President Janet Fuhrer, Executive members and national staff who have all done their part to make my job just a little easier, and the presidents of each of the other CBA Branches who are great colleagues and have become good friends. We have also received wonderful support from the bench, including our Chief Justices and Chief Judge, on so many issues important to the CBA and the legal community for which I am thankful. And last but certainly not least, thank you to all of the CBA Alberta volunteers who give back to the profession and the community in so many ways.
Wayne is the 2015-16 President of the Canadian Bar Association, Alberta Branch. He has practiced law for more than 20 years, having been in-house counsel for Canadian Airlines Internatoinal before switching to the practice of family law. As a partner with the firm of Wise Schieble Barkauskas in Calgary, Wayne has become one of the most experienced family law lawyers in the province, and is now also a mediator, a parenting coordinator, and arbitrator.