The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (FACL BC) has been granted leave to intervene in the judicial review proceeding of Irvine et al. v. University of British Columbia, Vancouver Registry, Court File No. S252602, currently before the Supreme Court of British Columbia (the Court).

The petition, filed in April 2025 by a group of UBC faculty members and a graduate student, alleges that UBC has acted contrary to section 66 of the University Act, RSBC 1996, c 468, which requires universities to remain "non-sectarian and non-political in principle." Among other things, the petition challenges UBC's use of Indigenous land acknowledgments, its adoption of statements regarding the conflict in Israel and Palestine, as well as its equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) requirements in faculty hiring. 

FACL BC's intervention is focused on the third issue, i.e., the challenge to EDI-related hiring practices, with particular attention to their application at UBC's Peter A. Allard School of Law. 

FACL BC maintains that law schools play a critical role in shaping the future of the legal profession. Faculty diversity and the mentorship environment in which law students are trained have a direct impact on who enters the profession, and who rises to leadership positions within the bar and the judiciary in British Columbia.

“FACL BC is committed to advancing equity, and fostering a diverse legal profession in BC. Our intervention seeks to assist the Court, by providing a perspective grounded in that mandate and informed by lived experiences of our members." - Jennine Punzalan, President, FACL BC.

FACL BC is represented in this matter, by Chilwin Cheng from Ascendion Law on a pro-bono basis.For any questions, please contact president@faclbc.ca.

Read our Notice of Application here.