FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2005
OTTAWA – Federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler will take part in a question and answer session with members of the Canadian Bar Association at the 2005 Canadian Legal Conference, Aug. 15 at 12:15 p.m. in Vancouver.
Justice Minister Cotler will deliver an address to members and then take questions from the floor as part of a dialogue at this year’s conference, which runs Aug. 14-16. The session will be followed by a news conference with the Minister.
Minister Cotler will also address the a Sunday session presented by the CBA's International Development Committee and the Department of Justice, entitled "Media and the Rule of Law" on Aug. 13. Minister Cotler will be joined by a number of notable panelists, including Ed Ratushny, President of the International Commission of Jurists Canada and John Stackhouse, Editor of the Globe and Mail's Report on Business. Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin will address the CBA Council on Saturday, Aug. 13.
Minister Cotler will also bring greetings to the Opening Plenary Session on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 14. Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations, Allan Rock, will deliver the keynote address on "The United Nations at a Crossroads: Why Canada Believes Now is the Time for Change" at the session.
The Justicia Award, sponsored jointly be the Department of Justice, the Law Commission of Canada, and the CBA for outstanding media coverage of the law will be presented at the Awards Luncheon on Saturday, Aug. 13. This year's winners come from a field of 32 entries from national and regional broadcast and print media. The winner of the CBA and DOJ National Law Student Essay Competition will be announced at the CLC Closing Luncheon on Tuesday, Aug. 16. A ceremony to mark the transfer of the Chain of Office of the Association President from outgoing President Susan McGrath of Iroquois Falls, Ont. to Brian Tabor of Halifax also takes place at the Tuesday event.
Sessions are open to accredited media. Most programs take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Fairmont Waterfront. A Media Centre is located in the Vancouver Convention Centre, 999 Canada Place, Room 20, 2nd level. Accreditation may be obtained by contacting the CBA National Office in Ottawa at (613) 237-2925, ext. 146/155 until Aug. 11. The Media Room will be open on Friday, Aug. 12 beginning at noon, until Tuesday, Aug. 15 at noon. The Media Centre can be reached at (604) 647-7408.
The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 34,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, Tel: (613) 237-2925, ext. 146; E-mail: hannahb@cba.org. Aug. 12-15: (604) 647-7408.
