Improving anti-racism accountablitity systems in the justice system

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 26: The Ministry of Attorney General should provide support to the judicial council and law society for conducting studies to understand, capture, and prioritize concerns and recommendations of judges and lawyers of African descent in terms of these bodies’ capacity in attracting People of African Descent to the profession, and of potential avenues in reforming legal practice and the justice system in BC.

Improving anti-racism accountablitity systems in the justice system

Enable data collection to measure and report progress in equity and diversity

Recommendation 27: The Ministry of Attorney General should ensure that sufficient authority is awarded to the BC Law society and the BC Judicial Council, under the “Race-based” data legislation for the collection, access and use of race-based data on the number of Black judges and lawyers in BC, to enhance their ability to monitor and address representational disparities.

Deepening PAD representaion in legal and justice services

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 28: The Minister of Justice and Attorney General, the Minister of Education, and the Minister of Advanced Education should collaborate to make dedicated funding and bursaries available to students of African descent interested in Law School. These ministers should model such funding on the UBC fund to support students of African descent established in partnership with two Black judges — retired Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly and current Provincial Court Judge David St. Pierre — as they exemplify the power of leveraging People of African Descent agency in amplifying success of People of African Descent oriented initiatives.

Deepening PAD representaion in legal and justice services

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 29: The Ministry of Advanced education should perform a contextualized review of admission processes and criteria that constitute systemic barriers to admissions to Law School for students of African descent.

Deepening PAD representaion in legal and justice services

Support collaboration between PAD professionals

Recommendation 30: The Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Ministry of Advanced Education should make funding available for law practitioners of African descent to provide mentoring and coaching services to youth and newcomers of African descent as it will ensure a greater holistic orientation on societal expectations.

Improving access to legal services

Support PAD-led models and community collaboration

Recommendation 31: The Ministry of Attorney General should collaborate with community organizations and leaders to promote and deepen People of African Descent communities’ understanding of new legislations as they come into force. This will be particularly critical for the anti-racism legislation that requires simultaneous investments in accessible outlets to provide the People of African Descent community with competent education on their rights, privileges, freedoms and legal options.

Improving access to legal services

Support PAD-led models and community collaboration

Recommendation 32: The Ministry of Attorney General should provide funding for the Law Society and People of African Descent community organizations to run legal clinics and legal aid programs for People of African Descent, predominantly led and designed by law practitioners of African descent. These programs must be accessible from anywhere within the province and run with an anti-Black racism lens and with a clear legal advocacy strategy. The Black Legal Action Centre in Ontario is a good example of a community legal aid program for the People of African Descent community.