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focus on issues relating to aging. CCEL’s work is nationally recognized, and
we have undertaken many projects that reflect and support the particular
experiences of elderly people.
Most recently, we launched our Reconciling Crown Legal Frameworks
Program, which is intended to support the alignment of B.C. laws with the
requirements of the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Act (the “Declaration Act”). There is much work to be done to help make
Crown laws consistent with Indigenous governance. This program is in its
early stages. We have a lawyer dedicated to this work, with the support of
an advisory committee that will help design a research program that can
help advance the goals of the Declaration Act.
Our 25th anniversary is a time to reflect on our accomplishments over
the past quarter century and also an opportunity to look to the future. Our
staff and board recently met to design a strategic plan to guide our work for
the next few years. BCLI owes deep gratitude to leaders in the legal community
whose efforts led to the creation of our organization and the countless
volunteers who have contributed to our success over the past 25 years.
BCLI is committed to playing a key role in modernizing, updating and
improving laws in what is now British Columbia for the next 25 years. Tending
to the legal foundations of our communities to reflect changing needs
and circumstances is more important now than ever. Issues such as access
to justice, care for our elderly populations, the role of technology and decolonizing
our legal frameworks will be foundational to our work going forward.
Our laws must reflect the needs of new generations, and we play an
important, unique and independent role in the legal landscape.
We invite readers to consider a more active role in law reform. Lawyers
who practise in specific areas can lend their expertise to our project committees
tasked with reviewing legislation and legal frameworks—your perspective
and experience are so important in helping to shape law reform
recommendations. Our 16-member board includes appointments made by
the Law Society of British Columbia, the Ministry of the Attorney General,
the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch), the Society of Notaries Public of
British Columbia, the province’s three law schools and six members at large.
There are many opportunities for law students to engage in our work—
through articles, internships and short-term contracts. The perspective of law
students is crucial to the innovations that will shape our recommendations.
Pandemic permitting, we are planning events in the fall to celebrate our
25th anniversary. We hope that it will be an opportunity to reflect on our
past and for those interested in law reform work to connect and collaborate.
We also invite you to consider subscribing to our mailing list and, most