The Public Policy Secretariat is one of CDL’s most important and impactful committees, it is a gathering place for the Civil Defence Bar’s sharpest legal minds from across Canada; discussing emerging issues, providing timely and thoughtful advice to governments, courts and regulators, and evaluating and supporting CDL interventions in cases of interest to our members.
 
The PPS is actively monitoring one or more issues of interest in three provinces (BC, Alberta and Ontario), and continues to seek member input on issues and cases in all Provinces and Territories.
 
The entire PPS meets semi-annually for Plenary meetings in the Spring and Fall, to promote the sharing of information and experiences from coast-to-coast; attendees to the plenaries are given first-right-or-refusal to contribute to written submissions.
 
Subcommittees and Task Forces of the PPS are working to respond to the following issues:

• BC Legal Professionals Act and the elimination of the Law Society of British Columbia
• Ontario Civil Rules Review – Phase 2 Consultation
• NEW Standing Subcommittee – Ontario SABS and liaison with the LAT

 
Recent Government, Court and Regulatory Submissions, recommended and written by PPS Members can be found online, including the following submissions made to-date in 2025:

• Civil Rules Review - Phase 2, Concerns with Lack of Meaningful Consultation (Ontario) | April 4, 2025
• Civil Rules Committee, Discount Rate Subcommittee (Ontario) | February 3, 2025
• Law Society of Ontario, Governance and Electoral Reforms | February 27, 2025

 
We need you! Calling all ‘law nerds’, the Public Policy Secretariat needs your input and expertise; join the invite list for our next Plenary in the Fall of 2025 and receive updates from the PPS on timely and emerging issues, or simply send us your thoughts on important issues and cases in your area.
 
Email the leadership of the PPS c/o CDL’s Executive Director – Danielle Russell, danielle@cdlawyers.org.