The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society is delighted to congratulate Gigi Chen-Kuo on her new position as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Law Society of British Columbia, effective January 6, 2025. Gigi Chen-Kuo's exemplary leadership and extensive experience in corporate governance and legal affairs make her an outstanding choice for this role.

Her impressive career, including her tenure as Chief Operating Officer at TransLink and various leadership roles, showcases her ability to navigate complex environments and drive meaningful change. Her contributions to various boards and her recognition in the industry reflect her dedication to the public interest and commitment to excellence. FACL BC interviewed her on our podcast last year about her career and work with Translink. Gigi is also a past guest speaker for FACL BC’s Leadership Academy and has supported our events, including the Annual Women’s Social.

FACL BC is confident that under Gigi's leadership, the Law Society will continue to thrive and advance its strategic goals. We look forward to seeing her impact and wish her every success in her new role.

The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (FACL BC) congratulates the Honourable Niki Sharma on her recent appointment as the Deputy Premier of British Columbia. Her achievement as the first Indo-Canadian to hold this significant position marks a historic milestone and is a source of immense pride for our community.

Niki Sharma's career is a testament to her exemplary leadership and steadfast commitment to public service. As the first woman of colour to serve as BC’s Attorney General, she has already broken barriers and set an inspiring precedent for future generations. Her extensive work in Aboriginal law and unwavering advocacy for social justice have been instrumental in driving meaningful change within the legal profession and beyond.

This appointment is not only a personal achievement for Ms. Sharma but also a powerful symbol of the growing diversity in leadership roles within our province. We are confident that her continued dedication will foster inclusivity and innovation in British Columbia's governance.

Congratulations to Niki Sharma on this well-deserved appointment.

The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society congratulates Justice Scott Morishita on his appointment to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Before his appointment, Justice Morishita practiced law for over 17 years as a civil litigator, representing individuals, insurance companies, and local governments. Over the course of his career, Justice Morishita contributed greatly to British Columbia’s legal and greater community, volunteering his time to many organizations, including FACL BC. He was a President of the Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia (B.C.) Branch (“CBABC”), and one of the first to be racialized and a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. He was also recently 1 of 4 individuals appointed by the Law Society of British Columbia to the Transitional Board of Legal Professions BC, chosen out of approximately 12,000 lawyers in the province for his strong and diverse legal expertise, depth of knowledge of the new Legal Professions Act, the events leading up to its creation, and proven experience in governance. 

Justice Morishita has greatly championed our organization and has been one of our most vocal supporters over the years. As an active member of FACL BC, Justice Morishita has spoken at and been featured in a number of our past events, including at our inaugural Membership Retreat in Whistler, BC, “Resiliency in a Tough Economy: What to Do When You’re Not Hired Back or Let Go”, and most recently, the “Leading with Pride: 2SLGBTQIA+ Mixer”. We are heartened to see him join British Columbia’s judiciary.

FACL BC applauds the appointment of Justice Morishita to the bench. A judiciary that reflects our province’s diversity and promotes access to justice is well-positioned to meet the needs of our community and aligns with FACL BC’s mandate of promoting equity, justice and opportunity for Asian Canadian legal professionals and the wider community. We look forward to Justice Morishita’s continued contributions to the legal profession.

Correction: This Statement initially incorrectly described Justice Morishita as the first President of CBABC to be a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We have been advised that James Bond was the first member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to serve as President of CBABC from 2008-2009 and have corrected this Statement accordingly. We believe in highlighting and celebrating the accomplishments of members of all marginalized communities, not just our own, and will work diligently to ensure we continue to do so in the future.

FACL BC is pleased to announce that it has been selected as the recipient of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)’s Affiliate of the Year Award. FACL BC board members will attend the NAPABA Convention and Gala in Seattle, Washington on November 9, 2024 to receive this award onstage.

NAPABA is the largest Asian Pacific American membership organization in the US representing the interests of 80,000 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students.

FACL BC has been an affiliate organization of NAPABA since 2019 and is currently the only affiliate in British Columbia. The NAPABA Affiliate of the Year Award was established to recognize outstanding NAPABA affiliates for their best practices and accomplishments in their local communities over the past year. Two of these awards are given each year: one to an affiliate organization with less than 100 members and another to an affiliate organization with over 100 members.

With over 760 active members, FACL BC is the first Canadian affiliate to receive this honour and joins the list of impressive past NAPABA award recipients, including US Vice President, Kamala Harris, who received the 2012 Trailblazer Award. 

Read more about the NAPABA official announcement here (under 2024 Awardees).

Northwest Alternate Regional Governor

For the first time, FACL BC has also nominated the next Northwest Alternate Regional Governor to the NAPABA Board of Governors, a role which will aim to strengthen relations between affiliates based in the Northwest region, including but not limited to Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii.

The Northwest Alternate Regional Governor will serve in this capacity from 2024 to 2026 and commence officially on the Board of Governors as Northwest Regional Governor from 2026 to 2028.

Other than the Northwest Regional Governor, NAPABA also appoints Regional Governors in the Central, Central California, Eastern California/Nevada, Northeast, Northern California, Southeast, Southern California, and Southwest regions across the US and Canada.

Complimentary Membership

Current FACL BC members are entitled to receive complimentary membership to NAPABA. To receive your complimentary membership code, contact info@faclbc.ca.

Ahead of the upcoming Annual General Meeting for the Law Society of British Columbia (the “Law Society”), two members have proposed a Member Resolution (“Resolution 3”) that seeks to amend the Law Society’s mandatory Indigenous Intercultural Course by altering the description of the findings at the Kamloops Indian Residential School site.

FACL BC denounces the language of denialism present in Resolution 3, which undermines the lived experiences and testimonies of Indigenous residential school survivors, whose voices are crucial in understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of these institutions. 

The Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc Nation issued a statement on May 27, 2024 regarding the Kamloops Indian Residential School site stating:

At this time, we are deep into the investigative work. Our approach is multidisciplinary and includes the following:

Our investigative findings (and investigative steps) are currently being kept confidential to preserve the integrity of the investigation. Our investigators’ findings to date are consistent with the presence of unmarked burials. When we reach our next milestone, we will be sure to update you.  

[emphasis added]

The Law Society’s Executive Director has also noted that they take any suggestions with respect to the Indigenous Training course seriously, and require time to review background information, other resources and consultation before next steps are taken.

The BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) also released a statement calling Resolution 3 racist and harmful.

We urge the Law Society to maintain its commitment to truth and reconciliation by ensuring that its educational content continues to reflect the voices and truths of Indigenous communities, particularly in the face of rising residential school denialism in Canada. It is vital to respect and uphold these perspectives as part of our collective responsibility towards reconciliation and justice. We note that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action emphasized that lawyers and Law Societies have a responsibility to respect Indigenous legal traditions and rights. 

FACL BC has always and continues to stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities and remains committed to promoting understanding and awareness of the historical injustices faced by Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is our position that denialism of any form goes against FACL BC’s mission statement and values, and we ask our members to consider voting against Resolution 3 before or during the Law Society’s AGM on September 24, 2024.

Disclaimer: The views set out in this Statement are those of the FACL BC Board and do not necessarily reflect the personal views of FACL BC directors or members.

It is a true honour to lead FACL BC as President for the 2024-2025 year. As a first-generation Canadian and the first in my family to become a lawyer, I deeply resonate with many of you. When I joined FACL BC as an articling student during the challenges of COVID, I sought support and connection in a time of uncertainty. What I experienced was far more remarkable than I ever expected: a vibrant and passionate community dedicated to mentorship, driving meaningful change, and championing Asian-Canadian legal professionals.

Throughout my time with FACL BC, I have been privileged to be part of many incredible initiatives and events. Some highlights include helping produce the FACL BC Podcast, available on Apple Podcast and Spotify, where we spotlight the inspiring journeys of Asian-Canadian legal professionals; being involved in the largest mentorship program in Western Canada for law students and junior lawyers; contributing to our impactful documentary, But I Look Like a Lawyer, which has become a key resource for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) training at local law schools and in the BC bar materials; hosting our monthly wellness-focused journal club, Write On, for the past two years; enjoying meaningful connections at our Hometown Eats events; and establishing our very own FACL BC Journal to highlight and discuss pressing legal issues and topics important to the Asian-Canadian community in BC.

FACL BC has so much to offer, and I sincerely hope you have all experienced the same sense of welcome, community, and belonging that I have. Whether someone introduced you to FACL BC or you bravely attended an event by yourself, I applaud you. It is because of you that we have this wonderful community of over 760 members.

Together, we are a powerful voice for the Asian-Canadian legal community. As we enter our 13th year, leveraging our collective strength to push boundaries is more crucial than ever. In light of recent EDI program cutbacks across North America, fostering unity in diversity is not just a priority - it is a necessity. There is still a lot of work to be done. This year, we are committed to continuing furthering our EDI efforts, sparking essential conversations on allyship, and providing impactful legal educational opportunities for the Asian-Canadian legal community.

I encourage you to continue sharing your ideas, stories, and milestones, actively participate in our initiatives and events, and most importantly, consider volunteering your time or becoming a sponsor. FACL BC is a non-profit society that is predominantly volunteer-driven with 22 board members, over 100 committee volunteers, and 3 part-time staff members. Our growth and influence are only made possible because of your engagement.

We warmly invite you and your friends to join our community at https://faclbc.ca/join as Full or Student Members. Our allies are also welcomed through our Supporting Membership.

Thank you for the privilege of serving as your President. I look forward to working with you! 

Please extend a warm welcome to our FACL BC 2024-2025 Board of Directors, who were appointed/elected at our Annual General Meeting on July 11, 2024. We look forward to reaching new heights with this amazing team in the upcoming term! 

• President: Jenny Huang
• VP External: Sebastian Chern
• VP Internal: Jennine Punzalan
• VP Marketing: Sandy Lun
• VP Development: Paige Mueller
• Treasurer: Daniel Szeto
• Advisory Director: Fiona Wong
• Directors-at-Large: Catherine Wong, Cen Yang, Janice Fujikawa, Miguel Oreta, Nyusha Samiei, Rachel Wong, Shanna Gu, Xue Zhang
• Secretary: Becca Liu
• Gala Chair: Lily Zhang
• Area Director - Kamloops: Shazia Hosenbocus
• Area Director - Victoria: Moora Paw
• Student Directors: Baron Hsueh (UBC), Avneet Sandhu (UVic), Simirin Lally (TRU)

We would also like to thank the following outgoing board members for their dedication and service to FACL BC during their respective terms: Jim Wu, Steven Ngo, Charlene Tsai, David How, Zheng-Yi Ong, Wen He, Jaspreet Kaur Mann, and Sharon K. Malhi.

Please keep an eye out for ways to get involved with our Advocacy, Membership, Mentorship, Gala, In-House and NCA/LLM committees in the 2024-2025 year. We can't wait to see what's in store! 

The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society congratulates Judge Parveen Nijjar on her appointment to the British Columbia Provincial Court.

Before her appointment, Judge Parveen Nijjar practiced law for over 15 years, focusing on child protection and family mediation. In 2018, she joined the Legal Services Branch as Director's Counsel. Most recently, she served as Deputy Supervisor at the Ministry of Attorney General's, Legal Services Branch. Judge Nijjar is multilingual, fluent in Punjabi, and proficient in Hindi and Russian.

We are pleased to share FACL BC's first edition of its Annual Report with all members. The Annual Report is hyperlinked here: Annual Report 2024 for your convenience.

The Annual Report summarizes the progress and highlights that we have collectively achieved in 2023-2024 - thanks to the hard work of our board, advisors, volunteers, speakers, and members. We hope you enjoy reading it, as we reflect on the growth and development made over the past year!

Limited copies will be available in print for a small fee. To order, please contact info@faclbc.ca.

FACL BC is pleased to share its Follow Up Position Paper on Bill 21 - Legal Professions Act. This position paper follows our previous one issued in November 2022 here. We thank our members for participating in the Bill 21 survey in May 2024 and for voicing their concerns about its implications to our Advocacy Committee.

FACL BC is predominantly volunteer-driven. As a result of its volunteer capacity, coupled with the intention to approach Bill 21 in a thoughtful and informed manner, FACL BC took considerable time to survey its members, consider how the proposed legislation impacts our membership and mandate of promoting equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Canadian legal professionals, and canvass the thoughts of our Board members and advisors before publishing this paper. We understand that an injunction application is being heard the week of June 17, 2024 in relation to Bill 21. This position paper may be amended as FACL BC continues to monitor new developments periodically.

While certain new mechanisms created under Bill 21 are a step in the right direction, including the establishment of the Indigenous Council, with regard to a number of other mechanisms to ensure Indigenous representation in support of reconciliation and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, it still does not properly account for the voices of other visible minorities at the table, specifically for Asian Canadian legal professionals. As currently drafted, the new Act does not reflect FACL BC’s mandate of promoting equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Canadian legal professionals and the wider community, but must in order to reflect our society.

Specifically, FACL BC recommends that the new Act be amended to include specific reference to and consideration for Asian Canadian legal professionals in the following areas: guiding principles, diversity of the Board and Legal Professions Tribunal, oaths of office and Code of Conduct for the Board and Legal Professions Tribunal, appointment and duties of the Chief Executive Officer, licensing and enrollment, discipline, practice reviews, trust accounting rules, dispute resolution, practice specialties, assistance programs and cultural competency training, and transition provisions related to governance and discipline.

We also respectfully request further clarification from the Ministry of Justice on sections of the new Act regarding the Law Foundation, the infrastructure that will be in place to oversee the 5-year independent review, creation of new regulations, and creation of a new legal profession. Most importantly, our initial question posed in 2022 remains unanswered, namely, how the new Act will yield purported access to justice benefits.

Overall, FACL BC takes issue with the government influence, expansion of regulatory powers over lawyers, and the lack of consultation from lawyers prior to the enactment of the new Act.

Board Members who are part of firms that represent clients involved in litigation over Bill 21 have recused themselves and were not involved in the preparation of this position paper. 

Read FACL BC's full position paper here: Follow Up Position Paper on Bill 21 - Legal Professions Act.