Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) lawyer Glenn Blackett has chastised the Law Society of Alberta (LSA) for suspending 30 lawyers for not doing indigenous cultural competency training in November..“The Path represents politicized regulatory overreach and, while ostensibly intended to promote reconciliation, is likely to do far more harm than good,” said Blackett in a Monday statement. .The statement said the legality of the LSA mandating indigenous cultural competency training is doubtful. It said many law societies in Canada have powers to impose continuing professional education on lawyers. .The LSA passed Rule 67.4 in 2020, giving itself this power. However, the Legal Professions Act does not appear to give it this power..Through a combination of postmodern ideology and clumsy, distorted history, the statement said the main lesson intended for Alberta lawyers seems to be Canada’s treatment of indigenous people is one focused on racism and genocide. The training states racism and genocide remain lodged in Canadian law and legal structures. .The LSA said in April systemic discrimination is alive and well in the justice system, within the regulator, and the legal profession. .READ MORE: Law Society of Alberta says discrimination exists in justice system.“Acknowledging that systemic discrimination exists within the Law Society, the legal profession, and the justice system is a step towards improving how we protect the public interest and fulfill our regulatory objectives,” it said. .“Acknowledging the impact of systemic discrimination allows us to meaningfully continue the work of making the legal profession more equitable, increasing diversity and promoting inclusion.”.Blackett said law societies are empowered to ensure lawyers know the law and behave ethically. He said law societies are “not empowered to force lawyers to submit to political indoctrination of any kind.” .The LSA appears to be relying on the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report’s Call to Action 27 for imposing this training. .Call to Action 27 says the Federation of Law Societies of Canada should ensure lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training, which includes the history and legacy of residential schools. This training should include skills-based lessons in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism. .The statement went on to say the TRC’s calls to action are not law. It added the calls do not amend the Legal Professions Act. .It said any remaining doubt as to the propriety of this training should be vaporized by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Mandatory political re-education violates people’s freedom of conscience and expression. .The statement noted another example of woke institutional capture is prominent Canadian psychologist and author Dr. Jordan Peterson’s treatment by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO).Peterson said on January 3 the CPO is demanding he do a course about social media etiquette. .READ MORE: Jordan Peterson says Ontario psychologist regulator requesting he do social media course.“BREAKING: the Ontario College of Psychologists @CPOntario has demanded that I submit myself to mandatory social-media communication retraining with their experts for, among other crimes, retweeting @PierrePoilievre and criticizing @JustinTrudeau and his political allies,” he said. .Peterson said he has to take social media training, with reports documenting his progress. If he objects, he will face an in-person tribunal hearing and suspension of his right to practice as a licensed clinical psychologist. .Blackett called freedom of conscience and expression “the lifeblood of a liberal democracy.” That is why authoritarian regimes outlaw free speech and mandate ideological indoctrination..“The woke capture of professional regulators threatens these freedoms by weaponizing regulatory power to suppress free speech by ‘cancelling’ heterodox voices and to mandate ideological re-education,” he said. .“This threat is especially dangerous as it relates to our legal system.”
