The CHBA’s primary objective is to advocate for and support Latin American and Hispanic people in the legal profession across Canada. We have approximately 230 members. Our membership includes domestically and internationally trained lawyers, National Committee on Accreditation candidates, paralegals, articling and law students, and Legal Practice Program Candidates. We collaborate with other equity-seeking groups within theprofession and the broader Latin American and Hispanic community on initiatives oriented towards our objectives. We celebrate diversity and aim to improve inclusion.
We are proud to endorse Natalia Rodriguez who is running in the 2023Bencher election and is a current member of our Board of Directors. Having worked with Natalia over her two years on the CHBA Board, we know first-hand she has the skill-set, experience, and dedication our profession needs at the LSO.
Our mandate requires us to take positions on matters that are important to our members; few things are more important to our members in Ontario than who sits at Convocation. In this endorsement, the CHBA takes the opportunity to endorse not just Natalia, but also the Good Governance Coalition candidates.
We support the GGC candidates given that we share the following values: good governance is evidence-based and respects a diversity of views; fostering a profession that is equitable, diverse, and inclusive; a Law Society that addresses discrimination and includes representation from many perspectives; and, and a view that paralegal services are critical. Moreover, we are dedicated to supporting new licensees and entrants to the profession.
We strongly encourage all lawyers and especially our members to review platforms and candidates, and most importantly to vote in this year’s election.
The CHBA also hopes that this is the final Bencher election where candidates run via coalitions/slates. We support a return to elections where candidates run as individuals. We believe that the needs of lawyers in Ontario cannot be simplified into two sides, and that moving away from candidates running as members of a slate or coalition will lead to a less divisive process, in the best interests of our profession and CHBA members.
Mario Torres
President, Canadian Hispanic Bar Association