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! 

Jenny Huang
President
Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC
LinkedIn

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.

FACL BC applauds the appointment of Judge Nijjar 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 Judge Nijjar’s continued contributions to the legal profession.

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.

The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (FACL BC) is a diverse coalition of Asian Canadian legal professionals working to promote equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Canadian legal professionals and the wider community. To support the students of this community, we award a number of annual scholarships to current BC law students of pan-Asian descent.

In November 2023, we awarded 2 scholarships at our Annual Gala. Visit faclbc.ca/scholarship to view our previous scholarship recipients.

FACL BC Scholarships at Upcoming Annual General Meeting

FACL BC is pleased to announce that we will award 4 scholarships (“Scholarships”) in the amount of $1,000 each at our upcoming Annual General Meeting on July 11, 2024. These scholarships are made possible by the support of TD Bank Group, as our Exclusive Financial Partner for the 2023-2024 year.

The FACL BC Scholarships recognize current and incoming law students enrolled in a law school in British Columbia, graduating between 2025 and 2027, who demonstrate a keen interest in and willingness to contribute to the Asian Canadian legal community. Consideration will be given to applicants’ leadership and community involvement, and financial need.

FACL BC will endeavour to allocate the FACL BC Scholarships to Juris Doctor candidates enrolled at the Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law (“TRU”), University of Victoria Faculty of Law (“UVic”), and UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law (“Allard”), as well as incoming LLM in Common Law (LLMCL) candidates enrolled at Allard.

Selection Process

• Each application that meets the requirements set out below will be reviewed by current FACL BC Executive members on a “blind resume review” basis, with all identifying personal information redacted and anonymized prior to consideration.

• FACL BC exercises sole and absolute discretion to determine scholarship eligibility and scholarship recipients.

• FACL BC’s decisions are final. Application materials will not be returned to applicants.

• Scholarship recipients will be notified of FACL BC’s decision by July 8, 2024, and the scholarship will be presented at FACL BC’s Annual General Meeting on July 11, 2024.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a FACL BC Scholarship, students must:

• self-identify as of pan-Asian descent (South Asian, Southeast Asian, East Asian, Central/West Asian);

• demonstrate past, current and/or future involvement in promoting equity, justice and opportunity for pan-Asian Canadian legal professionals and/or the wider community in British Columbia, with previous involvement with FACL BC preferred;

• be able to attend FACL BC’s Annual General Meeting via Zoom on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 5 pm (Pacific Time); and

• be a current student member of FACL BC (note: Student Membership is complimentary, sign up at faclbc.ca/join); and

• consent to having their name (photo and short bio optional) displayed on our webpage at faclbc.ca/scholarship.

Please note that past scholarship recipients, FACL BC Student Directors, and student contractors including Executive Coordinators and Associate Director (both current and former) are not eligible to apply. 

Application

To apply for a FACL BC Scholarship, please complete the application form here by no later than 11:59 PM on July 2, 2024. 

New Scholarships at BC Law Schools

In addition to the 4 FACL BC Scholarships which will be awarded at our upcoming Annual General Meeting, FACL BC is pleased to announce that it has set up official and recurring scholarships at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law and Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law commencing September 2024. These scholarships will be awarded by the schools annually until 2027.

Please refer to the respective schools’ official scholarship websites for more information on how to apply.

University of Victoria Faculty of Law

The award will be granted to an Asian Canadian undergraduate student entering or continuing in the Faculty of Law at UVic. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate financial need and further preference is for students who are the first in their immediate family to attend a law school. Approval of the recipients is made by the Senate Committee on Awards upon the recommendation of the Faculty of Law.

Amount

$1,000 per year, over 3 years, will be awarded to 1 successful candidate for an expected total value of $3,000.

Eligibility Requirements

• A student currently enrolled at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law; and

• Asian Canadian (defined as a Canadian student of some Asian descent).

Application

The Award will be administered by the UVic Student Awards and Financial Aid Office, in accordance with the policies and procedures for undergraduate awards.

View the Award by visiting this page here and navigating to the “Scholarships: F-L” tab.

Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law

The award will be intended for a TRU student enrolled in the JD program, who self-identifies as “Asian Canadian”. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate financial need and who are the first in their immediate family to attend a law school. The purpose of the gift is to support Asian Canadian law students.

Amount

$1,000 per year, over 3 years, will be awarded to 1 successful candidate for an expected total value of $3,000.

Eligibility Requirements

• A student currently enrolled at Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law; and

• Self-identify as Asian Canadian (defined as a Canadian student of some Asian descent).

Application

Faculty Adjudicated - Apply Directly.

View the Award by visiting here and filtering the award results specific to the Faculty of Law.

UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law

FACL BC will self-administer a scholarship to one JD candidate at Allard closer to September 2024. More details to follow in the late summer.

We look forward to receiving your applications to the FACL BC Scholarships and partnering with TRU and UVic to provide additional scholarships commencing September 2024!

If you have any questions regarding the above scholarships, contact finance@faclbc.ca.

If you are interested in joining FACL BC’s Board of Directors (the “FACL BC Board”), please complete the nomination form by 11:59 p.m. on July 2, 2024. Your nomination statement should include a short summary of who you are, why you are interested in our organization, and the extent of your previous involvement with FACL BC (if any) (maximum of 300 words). These nomination statements will be sent to all FACL BC members. You may submit a nomination statement for no more than one position described below.

All FACL BC Board members are expected to attend monthly Board meetings, participate in FACL BC committees (Membership, Advocacy, Gala, or Mentorship), and contribute actively to the planning and execution of FACL BC programming and initiatives.

The following positions are available: 

Director-at-Large (Two-Year Term)

The FACL BC Board has four Director-at-Large (two-year term) positions available. These positions are open to FACL BC’s Full Members. Members on the FACL BC Board are expected to assume active high-level and on-the-ground leadership for our various initiatives, including in leading FACL BC committees. 

Director-at-Large (One-Year Term)

The FACL BC Board has one Director-at-Large (one-year term) position available. This position is open to FACL BC’s Full Members. Members on the FACL BC Board are expected to assume active high-level and on-the-ground leadership for our various initiatives, including in leading FACL BC committees. 

Secretary (Two Year Term)

The FACL BC Board has one Secretary position available. This position is open to FACL BC’s Full Members. The Secretary is an integral part of the FACL BC Board and responsible for, among others:

• overseeing the issuance of notices of FACL BC General Meetings and Board meetings;
  
• taking minutes of FACL BC General Meetings and Board meetings;
  
• maintaining the records of the FACL BC Society in accordance with the Societies Act;
• assisting in conducting the correspondence of the FACL BC Board; and
  
• overseeing the filing of the annual report of the FACL BC and making any other filings with the registrar under the Societies Act. 
  

Area Director (Two-Year Term)

The FACL BC Board has one Area Director position for each of Kamloops and Victoria available. Area Directors are key liaisons between FACL BC and their respective region’s legal community and represent/promote FACL BC in their respective regions. These positions are open to FACL BC’s full members in Kamloops or Victoria.

Student Director (One-Year Term)

The FACL BC Board has one Student Director position for each of BC’s law schools (UBC, TRU, and UVic) available. Student Directors are key liaisons between FACL BC and their respective law school and represent/promote FACL BC at their respective law school. These positions are open to FACL BC’s student members who are current JD or graduate law students at UBC, TRU, or UVic. 

Candidates for FACL BC Board positions may share their candidacy with Members leading up to the AGM through social media and email. If you choose to do so, please be mindful of Members' communication preferences.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@faclbc.ca

FACL BC is honoured to announce that it has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 CBA Touchstone Award. FACL BC President, Fiona Wong and VP Marketing, Jenny Huang recently accepted the award on behalf of FACL BC at the CBA President's Dinner. The award ceremony took place in Gatineau, Quebec on June 5, 2024.

A written transcript of FACL BC’s acceptance speech, as recorded by Fiona, can be found here.

The Touchstone Award celebrates the accomplishments of an individual or an organization who has excelled in promoting equality in the legal profession, the judiciary, or the legal community in Canada. The award recognizes successful promotion or furthering of equality at the national level and/or a significant contribution relating to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or other diversity issues in the recipient’s community. FACL BC was specifically recognized for its documentary, But I Look Like a Lawyer in receiving this award.

FACL BC is the second organization to receive this award since 1996. FACL BC joins the ranks of past Supreme Court of Canada judges, the Honourable Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé and the Honourable Justice Rosalie Abella, and other CBA branch presidents in BC and Alberta, in receiving the Touchstone Award. 

We thank the Canadian Bar Association Equity Subcommittee for selecting us as this year’s award recipient. We also thank our nominator, Gurminder Sandhu, KC, and others who provided letters of support, including Gaynor Yeung, Jennifer Chow, KC, and Winston Sayson, KC. We wish to express our gratitude to current and past board members, as well as our hundreds of volunteers since 2011, for making this award possible.

Read more here from the Canadian Bar Association's official announcement. FACL BC congratulates all other award recipients for 2024.

The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (FACL BC) expresses its warmest congratulations to Justices Nitya Iyer, K.C. and Edlyn Laurie on their appointments to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of British Columbia, respectively. 

Justice Iyer replaces Justice L. Marchand on the Court of Appeal, who had been appointed Chief Justice of British Columbia in December of 2023, and will be the keynote speaker of our Membership Retreat next month. Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2017, Justice Iyer was a law professor at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia, a member of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, and a practicing lawyer. She was also appointed King’s Counsel in 2016.

Justice Laurie was born to Chinese-Filipino parents in Manila, Philippines, making her the first Justice of Filipino-Chinese descent and one of the first Filipino-Canadians appointed to British Columbia’s Supreme Court. Justice Laurie was a prosecutor with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, practicing criminal and constitutional law. Outside of her busy litigation practice, Justice Laurie served on several committees within the Public Prosecution Service and was involved with the School for Prosecutors as a vice principal and faculty member. She also serves as a council member for Health Quality B.C. 

FACL BC is heartened to see Justices Iyer and Laurie appointed to their respective positions on the bench. After FACL BC has advocated for greater representation in our judiciary, we are glad to see the Honourable Arif Virani appoint a slate of judges who are as diverse as they are capable. A judiciary that reflects our province’s diversity and promotes access to justice is well-positioned to meet the needs of our community. We look forward to the Justices’ continued contribution to the legal profession and British Columbia.

May is Asian Heritage Month, a time for all Canadians to delve into the history of Asian Canadians and recognize their significant contributions to our society. 

Since the 1990s, Asian Heritage Month has been nationally observed, gaining official recognition by the Federal Government in May 2002. Despite enduring discriminatory immigration policies like the “Chinese Exclusion Act” and the “continuous journey regulation,” Asian populations have persevered in Canada, leaving an indelible mark across various sectors including arts, science, sports, business, and government. Today, the multifaceted tapestry of Asian cultures and the enduring legacy of Asian Canadians profoundly shape Canada’s history, communities, and future. 

The theme for this year’s Asian Heritage Month, “Preserving the Past, Embracing the Future: Amplifying Asian Canadian Legacy,” celebrates the diverse heritage and enduring contributions of people of Asian origin in Canada. On this special occasion, FACL BC encourages our members to explore and celebrate the vibrant cultures and histories of Asian Canadian communities.

In recognition of Asian Heritage Month, FACL BC invites you to our upcoming documentary screening with the Law Society of British Columbia. But I Look Like a Lawyer is FACL BC’s documentary that highlights the discrimination and bias faced by the Asian Canadian legal community in BC. The screening will take place on May 22, 2024 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. The documentary is inspired by But I Was Wearing a Suit, which highlights the perspectives of the Indigenous legal community. Register here - limited spots remaining.