Connecting on Law Reform Initiatives at the Federation of Law Reform Agencies of Canada (FOLRAC)
June 12, 2023
BY Megan Vis-Dunbar
This month we welcomed the opportunity to connect with fellow provincial law reform agencies. The Federation of Law Reform Agencies of Canada (FOLRAC) held its first in-person conference since 2019 in Toronto in early June. The meeting was an opportunity to network with representatives from our counterparts working on law reform initiatives in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The use of technology and access to justice concerns emerged as common themes underlying much of the work being done across Canada.
Participants shared their approaches to recent projects and provided updates on law reform initiatives, which spanned such topics as technology and law, approaches to learning about Indigenous laws and their intersections with provincial laws, and efforts to address intimate partner violence. The meeting provided numerous opportunities for thoughtful discussions around engaging racialized and equity-seeking communities in our work. We also heard about efforts to advance access to justice both within provincial law reform initiatives and in relation to the work of the National Action Committee on Access to Justice on Civil and Family Matters and the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice.
The day and a half of sharing culminated in a commitment to working together to share approaches and strategies throughout the year and enthusiasm for next year’s in-person conference. We came away having strengthened existing connections and with a shared understanding that working together will help improve and modernize laws across all Crown jurisdictions.
