Access to Justice for Children Conference

Product Type: Course

This course has no current sessions.

DescriptionMore DetailAgenda

Law practice and children's human rights

Thursday & Friday, May 14 & 15, 2015, 9:00 - 4:30 pm (BOTH DAYS)
Pan Pacific Hotel, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver

Reception: Day 1:
Thursday, May 14, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm—"Lawyers as Champions for Children"
co-hosted by the CBA National Children's Law Committee

Rebroadcast
"Summer Series 2015": Monday & Tuesday, July 27 * 28, 2015

Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm BOTH DAYS

Who should attend: Lawyers in all practice areas, judges, family justice counsellors, mediators, arbitrators, parenting coordinators, anyone involved in access to justice, and psychologists/psychiatrists.

Learning level: All levels

The Canadian legal profession is engaged in critically important discussions about access to justice. Ensuring access to justice for children must be a key component of those discussions. Children in Canada have broad legal entitlements under domestic and international law, including significant participatory rights, which have the potential to shape their everyday lives in positive ways and to protect them when they become involved in court. alternative dispute resolution (ADR), or administrative processes. Those legal entitlements apply across all areas of legal practice, as evidenced by the CBA section membership in the national Children’s Law Committee: aboriginal law; administrative law, ADR, constitutional law, and human rights; criminal justice; health law; immigration law; international law, privacy, and access; Public Sector Lawyers Forum; SOGIC (sexual orientation and gender identity); and wills, estates, and trusts. Lawyers practicing in all areas of "business" law have obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to consider the impact of all business decisions on children (2013 UN Commentary on the Impact of Business on Children's Rights) with input from them. All lawyers have obligations to prepare, with the participation of children, Child Rights Impact Statements for all legislative and policy decision making.

In spite of the hard work and dedication by many lawyers, serious concerns still exist with respect to the implementation of children’s rights in all areas of legal practice, and in all legal processes, including ADR, administrative processes, and court proceedings. The concerns apply to children generally and with respect to vulnerable, high risk, and marginalized children, Indigenous children in particular. Having the ability to identify the concerns and provide remedies is an essential aspect of both lawyer competency and the professional legal obligation to commit to the “concept of equal justice for all” found in the Model Code of Professional Conduct. This program will therefore be broad-based and available to all lawyers, and to all decision making processes, including ADR. It will provide the foundational information lawyers need about both the nature of the legal rights, and the reality and complexity of the lives of children entitled to the benefit of those rights. It will then link that foundational information to all of the kinds of daily work lawyers do, suggesting practical ways in which lawyers can effectively work with children to identify beaches of their legal rights and to provide remedies for them.

You will learn about...

the nature of and scope of domestic and international legal rights of children, both generally and with respect to children’s broad participatory rights
the lived reality of and complexity of children’s lives (including information about the essentials of child development), and how children’s lived realities are linked to legal analysis
the nature of the access to justice barriers children face in all areas of law, including a consideration of the unique circumstances of Indigenous children
practical ways in which lawyers have used and can use the legal system to overcome barriers children face, in all areas of legal practice, and when engaged in all legal processes, including court proceedings, ADR processes, and formal and informal administrative proceedings
the ways in which principles of indigenous justice apply and can help inform non-indigenous decision making processes, including ADR processes
services, including legal services, that are available to lawyers to assist children
future ways in which lawyers, both individually and working together, in BC and across Canada, can help to enhance equal access to justice for children

Registration: You may register for the 2-day conference (see pricing below) or for Day 1 or Day 2 separately: please contact Customer Service (604.893.2121).

Watch: Video Invitation from the Course Chairs

CPD Hours

Law Society of BC CPD Hours: 13.5 hours (a minimum of 2 hours will involve professional responsibility and ethics, client care and relations, and/or practice management)

This conference has been approved for 3 hours of CPD towards the 17 hours of Additional Training required for admission to the BC Hear the Child Interviewer Roster.

4 hours of content is applicable to the Law Society ADR CPD requirement.

Meets the requirements for CPD for Social Workers.

Course Chairs

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC — Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Suzanne S. Williams — Brown Henderson Melbye, Victoria; Consultant, International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD), Victoria

Planning Committee

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC — Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Dr. Nancy Bell — Researcher/Consultant, Adjunct Professor, University of Victoria, Victoria
David C. Dundee — Paul & Company, Kamloops
barbara findlay, QC — barbara findlay, QC Law Office, Vancouver
Arlene H. Henry, QC — Arlene H. Henry Law Corporation, Vancouver
Sarah J. Rauch — Rauch Darby & Company, Vancouver
Suzanne S. Williams — Brown Henderson Melbye, Victoria; Consultant, International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD), Victoria

Keynote Speakers

The Honourable Raynell Andreychuk, Senator for Saskatchewan — The Senate of Canada, Ottawa
Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond — BC's Representative for Children and Youth, Victoria

Pricing*
1. Original course
EARLY BIRD (Register by April 22, 2015 and SAVE)
Live Course: Regular $1,005 | Student $535; Live Webinar: Regular $895
Save even more with your CPDone Pass. Click here for more info.

After April 22, 2015

Live Course: Regular $1,110 | Student $585; Live Webinar: Regular $990

Registration includes an electronic copy of the course materials and lunch on both days.

To register for either Day 1 or Day 2 separately, contact Customer Service (604.893.2121).

2. "Summer Series 2015" Rebroadcast
EARLY BIRD (Register by June 22, 2015): $810
After June 22, 2015: $900

Registration includes an electronic copy of the course materials.

Webinar Archive: This course will be added to the Webinar Archive. See below to subscribe.

*SPECIAL PRICING available for non-lawyers. Please contact CLEBC Customer Service (604.893.2121) for details and to register.

Unable to attend without financial support? To learn more about CLEBC's Bursary Program click here and for our Easy Pay Plan click here.

Can't make the live course/live webinar?

1. Order the online course materials, an archive of all CLEBC papers published since 2001. ... OR
2. Subscribe to the Webinar Archive, a repository of recordings of most CLEBC past courses.

Annual subscription rates for both options are based on firm size.

CLEBC Program Lawyer
Teresa M. Sheward
tsheward@cle.bc.ca

Course Chairs

About the Course Chairs

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC was a judge for 21 years and now works on a volunteer basis as an Adjunct Professor at SFU School of Criminology, and as an Honorary Visitor at the UBC Faculty of Law. She is chair of the national CBA’s committee on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; and co-chairs the Children, Law and Human Rights Initiative, which she co-founded in 2013.

Donna became a Judge of the BC Provincial Court in 1991, and of the BC Supreme Court in 1998 (chairing the Family Law Committee), and a Deputy Judge of the Yukon Supreme Court in 2005. Before that, she was full-time faculty at the UBC Law Faculty for two years, and practiced as Crown Counsel, criminal defence counsel, and family law lawyer in Calgary for 14 years. Donna started Calgary’s first all-women law firm in 1981. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in Alberta in 1986 and in 1987 obtained her LLM from Cambridge University, England. She taught family law at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law and criminal law at UBC’s Faculty of Law.

In the mid-1990s Donna co-chaired the social context education project for the National Judicial Institute in Ottawa, and chaired the Provincial Court’s Gender Equality Committee. The then Chief Justice described her work as being instrumental in changing the way that Court approaches family law matters. She is a long-time member of the Federal Department of Justice Advisory Committee on Family Law and was appointed by the Chief Justice as BC’s representative on the Canadian Network of Contact Judges, which deals with international and national child abduction cases. Donna has written numerous family law decisions that have been referred to as ground breaking, and have been followed by courts across Canada and in other countries, including BJG. v. DLG., (2010 YKSC 44) and Hoole v. Hoole, 2008 BCSC 1248.
In 2007 Donna received the University of Alberta’s Distinguished Alumnae Award, and in 2010 the Trial Lawyers of BC Bench Award.

Suzanne S. Williams is a lawyer, educator, consultant, and long-time child rights advocate. She holds a BA (honors) and JD. She has led child rights-based initiatives such as the multi-sector Child Protection Partnership that brought together Microsoft, UNICEF, the RCMP, Plan International, the Canadian International Development Agency, and IICRD, and built a network of more than 70 public and private partners in Thailand and Brazil to more effectively address online child sexual exploitation. Her work at the IICRD included developing and implementing the Hear the Child initiative which strengthened hearing from children in justice decision-making. Suzanne has been an invited expert for the European Union, Canada’s Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, Plan International for Because I am a Girl, and the National Judicial Institute, among others.

Suzanne has delivered numerous presentations in Canada and internationally on the rights of children, developed an award winning continuing legal education program on children’s participation in justice processes, and annually lectures in the international human rights class at the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Law. She has worked with all levels of government, a national law firm, the International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD), and in her own legal practice. Suzanne joined the Victoria law firm Brown Henderson Melbye in April 2015.

Planning Committee

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC — Retired justice of the Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Dr. Nancy Bell — Researcher/Consultant, Adjunct Professor, University of Victoria, Victoria
David C. Dundee — Paul & Company, Kamloops
barbara findlay, QC — barbara findlay, QC Law Office, Vancouver
Arlene H. Henry, QC — Arlene H. Henry Law Corporation, Vancouver
Sarah J. Rauch — Rauch Darby & Company, Vancouver
Suzanne S. Williams — Brown Henderson Melbye, Victoria; Consultant, International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD), Victoria

Keynote Speakers

The Honourable Raynell Andreychuk, Senator for Saskatchewan — The Senate of Canada, Ottawa
Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond — BC's Representative for Children and Youth, Victoria

About the Keynote Speakers

Senator Raynell Andreychuk practiced law in Saskatchewan for more than nine years. In 1976 she was appointed a Judge of the Saskatchewan Provincial Court, at which time she set up a family court in Regina under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Court. She served as Associate Deputy Minister of Social Services in Saskatchewan, and as Chancellor of the U of Regina (1977 – 1983). In 1987 Senator Andreychuk was named High Commissioner to Kenya and Uganda, and Ambassador to Somalia and the Comores, concurrently serving as Canadian representative to the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and Habitat. In 1990 she was appointed Ambassador to Portugal and also served as Canada's representative to the UN Human Rights Commission. In 1993 Senator Andreychuk was called to the Senate of Canada— the first woman appointed from Saskatchewan—and has served on numerous committees, including Aboriginal Peoples and the Review of the Anti-terrorist Act. She was instrumental in setting up the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights (chair 2001 – 2009, and current member), undertaking major studies on International Human Rights machinery, laws, and treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Senator Andreychuk presently chairs the Standing Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and Conflict of Interest for Senators, and served as the International Law and Human Rights convenor for Parliamentarians for Global Action. She has received numerous distinguished awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the YMCA Fellowship of Honour, two Honorary Doctorates, and was recognized as one of the top 100 distinguished graduates in the 100 year history of the U of Saskatchewan. After being the first Chair of the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, she was named an Honorary S.I.P.P. Fellow.

Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is BC’s first Representative for Children and Youth. She was appointed in 2006, and was re-appointed for a second five-year term in 2011. The Representative is an independent Officer of the Legislature who supports children, youth, and families who need help dealing with the child welfare system. She also provides oversight to the Ministry of Children and Family Development and advocates for improvements to the child welfare system.

Ms. Turpel-Lafond is a judge on leave from the Saskatchewan Provincial Court. She worked as a criminal law judge in youth and adult courts, with an emphasis on developing partnerships to better serve the needs of young people in the justice system, particularly sexually exploited children and youth, as well as those with disabilities, such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. She holds a doctorate of law from Harvard Law School and a master's degree in international law from Cambridge University. In 2007, the Indigenous Bar Association awarded her the distinction of ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel’. As well, Time Magazine has twice bestowed honours upon Ms. Turpel-Lafond, naming her one of the ‘100 Global Leaders of Tomorrow’ in 1994, and one of the ‘Top 20 Canadian Leaders for the 21st Century’ in 1999. Ms. Turpel-Lafond and her family live in Victoria, BC.

Faculty
The Honourable Madam Justice Margot Fleming — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
The Honourable Judge Marion R. Buller — Provincial Court of BC, Port Coquitlam
The Honourable Judge Rose Raven — Provincial Court of BC, Surrey
Holly Anderson — Guardianship Manager, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Cheyene Andy — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Dr. Nancy Bell — Researcher/Consultant, Adjunct Professor, University of Victoria, Victoria
Halie (Kwanxwa'loga) Bruce— Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack
Sandra Bryce — Executive Director, Victoria Child Abuse Prevention and Counselling Centre, Victoria
Jay Chalke, QC — Assistant Deputy Minister, Justice Services, Ministry of Justice, Victoria
Creesa Charlette — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver

Linda Chen — Fresh Voices Initiative Youth Advisory Team, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver

Rick Craig — Executive Director, Justice Education Society of BC, Vancouver
Melody Crowflag — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver

Harriette Cunningham — Comox

Riley Desjarlais — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
David C. Dundee — Paul & Company, Kamloops
barbara findlay, QC — barbara findlay, QC Law Office, Vancouver
Hadley Friedland — Research Coordinator, Cree Law and Child Welfare, Indigenous Law Research Unit, UVic Faculty of Law, Victoria
Jocelyn Helland — Manager of Vancouver Youth Services, Pacific Community Resources, Vancouver
Arlene H. Henry, QC — Arlene H. Henry Law Corporation, Vancouver
Dr. Mary Korpach — Registered Psychologist, Surrey
The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC — Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Heidi Mason — Director, Legal Advice and Representation, Legal Services Society, Vancouver
Jerry McHale, QC — Visiting Professor, Lam Chair in Law and Public Policy, University of Victoria, Victoria
Lucy McSweeney — Chair, Ontario Bar Association's Child and Youth Law section; Children's Lawyer for Ontario, Office of the Children’s Lawyer, Toronto
Tiana Meskego — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Tina Parbhakar — Civil Litigation Group, Ministry of Justice, Vancouver
Sarah J. Rauch — Rauch Darby & Company, Vancouver
Bruce (Owii`lo`ly`eyum`gaudlth`ni`Ki`insque) Robinson — Family Support Elder/Cultural Advisor, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Jorge Salazar — Project Manager, Fresh Voices Initiative, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver
Mark Sieben — Deputy Minister, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Victoria
Dr. Shirley Sze — President, Thompson Region Division of Family Practice, Child & Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Collaborative, Kamloops
Erika Trube — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Samantha Truong — Vancouver
VACFSS Youth Advisory Committee — Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Reyna Villasin — Fresh Voices Initiative Youth Advisory Team, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver

James Wale — Acting Director, Child Welfare Policy, Ministry of Child and Family Development, Victoria
Ardith (Walpetko We'dalx) Walkem — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack
Cheyenne Walters — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Christian Whalen — Chair, CBA Children's Law Committee; Deputy Advocate, New Brunswick Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, Fredericton
Derek H. Wiebe — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver
Suzanne S. Williams — Brown Henderson Melbye, Victoria; Consultant, International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD), Victoria
Lisa Wolff — Director of Policy and Education at UNICEF Canada, Toronto

Day 1: Thursday, May 14, 2015

Opening Prayer and Introduction

Elder: Bruce (Owii`lo`ly`eyum`gaudlth`ni`Ki`insque) Robinson — Family Support Elder/Cultural Advisor, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC — Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Suzanne S. Williams — Brown Henderson Melbye, Victoria; Consultant, International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD), Victoria

Young People’s Views on Justice: Their Lived Realities

examines young people’s day to day experiences—their lived realities—from their perspectives
looks at the ways in which legal problems arise in a wide variety of contexts in their lives
considers young people’s unique perspectives on the ways in which the justice system, whether dealing with administrative processes, alternative dispute resolution processes, or court processes, does respond and could respond to those realities and legal challenges

Holly Anderson - Guardianship Manager, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Cheyene Andy - Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver

Creesa Charlette — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Melody Crowflag — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Riley Desjarlais — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Tiana Meskego — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver

Erika Trube — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver
Cheyenne Walters — Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, Vancouver

Children’s Human Rights: Legal Framework Fundamentals

considers how mandatory contextual legal analysis, the way in which children’s equality principles are incorporated into legal decision making, uses principles of equality under domestic and international law and children’s lived experience to achieve just results
examines the substantive content of children’s legal rights under domestic and international law, demonstrating how children’s rights apply to administrative, judicial, and alternate dispute resolution processes
looks at the ways in which international laws relating to children are incorporated into domestic laws, and in particular
- the presumption of conformity in statutory interpretation
- the presumption that the Charter provides at least as much protection as that afforded by human rights instruments Canada has ratified
applies these principles to the day-to-day work that lawyers do

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC — Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
David C. Dundee — Paul & Company, Kamloops
Suzanne S. Williams — Brown Henderson Melbye, Victoria; Consultant, International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD), Victoria

Networking Break

Children, Law, and Justice: A View from the Bench

addresses the ways in which lawyers’ professional obligations to commit to “equal justice for all” under the Code of Professional Conduct link with both children’s lived reality and their legal rights under domestic and international law
discusses how the Charter, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other international instruments that apply to children provide the legal standard by which to measure whether just processes are used and just results are achieved for children
raises awareness about practical ways in which lawyers can, in their day-to-day work, champion access to justice for children generally, and vulnerable, high risk, and marginalized children, including Indigenous children, in particular

The Honourable Judge Marion R. Buller — Provincial Court of BC, Port Coquitlam

Lunch with Keynote Speaker: "Access to Justice for Children: An International Human Right"

The Honourable Raynell Andreychuk, Senator for Saskatchewan — The Senate of Canada, Ottawa

Are the Legal Fundamentals Serving Children in Practice?

identifies possible barriers to children achieving justice through laws and within various legal contexts, such as civil, criminal, administrative, and alternative dispute resolution processes
explores how the complexities of children's lives, the law, and administrative/legal systems can contribute to barriers that children may encounter
considers how competing rights may create tensions
proposes ways in which legal professionals might approach balancing those rights to better ensure children's equal access to justice

The Honourable Judge Rose Raven — Provincial Court of BC, Surrey
Dr. Nancy Bell — Researcher/Consultant, Adjunct Professor, University of Victoria, Victoria
Samantha Truong — Vancouver

Overcoming Barriers: Case Examples

Analyzes ways in which lawyers, working with children and others, can address access to justice barriers for children by using three compelling examples of ways to access justice for them

Indigenous children in care
trans children
young children whose mothers are incarcerated

Harriette Cunningham — Comox
barbara findlay, QC — barbara findlay, QC Law Office, Vancouver
Sarah J. Rauch — Rauch Darby & Company, Vancouver
Ardith (Walpetko We'dalx) Walkem — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack

Networking Break

Services to Support Children’s Access to Justice

Provides information and ideas for lawyers and other professionals whose work impacts upon children about legal and other services which exist to help achieve equal access to justice for children in

formal and informal administrative processes
alternative dispute resolution processes
court processes

Jay Chalke, QC — Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Justice, Victoria
Rick Craig — Executive Director, Justice Education Society of BC, Vancouver
Jocelyn Helland — Manager of Vancouver Youth Services, Pacific Community Services, Vancouver
Heidi Mason — Director, Legal Advice and Representation, Legal Services Society, Vancouver
James Wale — Acting Director, Child Welfare Policy, Ministry of Child and Family Development, Victoria

Closing Remarks

Reception: 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
"Lawyers as Champions for Children"
co-hosted by the CBA National Children's Law Committee

Day 2: Friday, May 15, 2015

Welcome and Introduction to Day 2

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC — Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Suzanne S. Williams — Brown Henderson Melbye, Victoria; Consultant, International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD), Victoria

Indigenous Justice for Children

Analyzes principles of and application of Indigenous law and justice

jurisdictional space to hear Indigenous laws and legal orders for children
articulating indigenous law and legal orders
practice hurdles to caring for Indigenous children and families within Canadian courts and legislation
access to justice for Indigenous children and families, legal aid, rural challenges, decision making
international law principles, identity, collective rights for Indigenous children

Provides the basis for considering the ways in which principles of Indigenous law and justice apply to and can help inform the development of

all legal principles, and
all legal processes including administrative, ADR, and court processes

Halie (Kwanxwa'loga) Bruce — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack

Hadley Friedland — Research Coordinator, Cree Law and Child Welfare, Indigenous Law Research Unit, UVic Faculty of Law, Victoria

Sarah J. Rauch — Rauch Darby & Company, Vancouver

Ardith (Walpetko We) Walkem — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Chilliwack

Networking Break

Child Development Essentials for Legal Professionals

Considers concepts of and stages of child development to assist legal and other professionals, when making decisions generally, and in court, administrative, or ADR processes to

learn how to effectively implement children’s broad rights to participate in all decisions affecting them
to understand the significant and negative consequences to normal child development, that stress and other trauma can have on children, including
- stress and trauma caused by ineffective decisions
- by costly, delayed, and ineffective court, administrative, or ADR processes.

Dr. Mary Korpach — Registered Psychologist, Surrey

Children in Context: Supporting Vulnerability

Explores children in context, and in particular how special vulnerabilities inform practices supportive of children’s well-being and access to justice such as

challenges for particularly vulnerable children, including immigrant, refugee, and unaccompanied children
issues of child consent and privacy
systemic issues and ethical considerations relating to children’s mental health
initiatives aimed at addressing barriers to the implementation of children’s broad right to health

Sandra Bryce — Executive Director, Victoria Child Abuse Prevention and Counselling Centre, Victoria
Linda Chen — Fresh Voices Initiative Youth Advisory Team, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver
Jorge Salazar — Project Manager, Fresh Voices Initiative, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver

Dr. Shirley Sze — President, Thompson Region Division of Family Practice, Child & Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Collaborative, Kamloops

Reyna Villasin — Fresh Voices Initiative Youth Advisory Team, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver

Lunch with Keynote Speaker

Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond — BC's Representative for Children and Youth, Victoria

The Child’s Participation Rights and Access Points in Justice Processes

Explains

the nature of and broad reach of children’s participatory rights in all areas of family, civil, and criminal legal practice, including court, administrative, ADR, and other non-formal justice processes
the inextricable link between children’s best interests and their participatory rights

Discusses the practical methods lawyers can be use in court, administrative and ADR processes to ensure that children’s rights, with a focus on their participatory rights, are considered at every stage of the applicable legal decision making process.

The Honourable Madam Justice Margot Fleming — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
The Honourable Donna J. Martinson, QC — Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Arlene H. Henry, QC — Arlene H. Henry Law Corporation, Vancouver
Tina Parbhakar — Civil Litigation Group, Ministry of Justice, Victoria
Derek H. Wiebe — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver

Networking break

Children’s Access to Justice: Next Steps in BC and Beyond

Concludes the program by considering future ways in which lawyers, both individually and working together, in BC and across Canada, can help to enhance equal access to justice for children generally, and in all administrative, ADR, and court processes, by, among other things

considering the work of the CBA National Children’s Law Committee and its United Convention on the Rights of the Child sub-committee
looking at the role of provincial CBA children’s law committees
role of children's lawyer and Child and Youth Advocate's offices: Ontario and New Brunswick perspectives
describing the work of UNICEF Canada, generally, and in the creation of a national children’s observatory
looking at ways in which the legal profession can take steps to ensure that the questions of children’s access to justice will be part of the ongoing provincial and national access to justice discussions

Lucy McSweeney — Chair, Ontario Bar Association's Child and Youth Law section; Children's Lawyer for Ontario, Office of the Children’s Lawyer, Toronto
Jerry McHale, QC — Visiting Professor, Lam Chair in Law and Public Policy, University of Victoria, Victoria
Christian Whalen — Chair, CBA Children's Law Committee; Deputy Advocate, New Brunswick Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, Fredericton
Lisa Wolff — Director of Policy and Education at UNICEF Canada, Toronto

Closing

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