“Lawyers should uphold their professional obligations rather than advancing broader social or political objectives. The lawyer’s job is to be loyal to the law and the Constitution and be loyal to the clients. These types of courses shouldn’t really be part of the law society’s activities at all.”
“Starting in September, a mandatory ‘Indigenous’ {sic, Canadian Aboriginal} ‘cultural competency’ course for Alberta lawyers will become voluntary under the province’s new “Regulated Professions Neutrality Act” (RPNA).
“The legislation restricts professional regulators to requiring education only in areas directly tied to professional competence and ethics. As a result, the Law Society of Alberta can no longer mandate “The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada” for new lawyers or those transferring from other provinces.
“‘The Path’ is an online program covering {in a one-sided fashion} residential schools, treaties, ‘Indigenous’ rights, ‘Indigenous law’, and Crown-‘Indigenous’ relations. It was introduced to fulfill the {Aboriginal Industry’s} ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s “Call to Action 27”, which called on law societies to provide lawyers with relevant ‘cultural competency’ training.
“The Alberta government says the RPNA keeps regulators focused on core duties while protecting freedom of expression. It does not prevent lawyers from voluntarily taking additional training, and the Province says ‘reconciliation’ remains a priority through ongoing work with ‘Indigenous’ communities.
“The Law Society noted that more than 10,500 Alberta lawyers have already completed ‘The Path’ over the past five years {! That will have a detrimental effect for years, particularly with future judges}.
“President Bud Melnyk, KC, said this has meaningfully {slavishly} addressed the TRC call. Lawyers can still access the course and other ‘Indigenous’ education opportunities voluntarily. Related initiatives, including the ‘Equity, Diversity and Inclusion {Discrimination} Committee’ and certain ‘Indigenous’ mentorship and student programs, will also be phased out {!}.
“Lawyers are divided on the change. Edmonton criminal defence lawyer Elvis Iginla said the training helped him better understand the circumstances of ‘Indigenous’ clients and improved his advocacy, though younger lawyers may already gain similar knowledge in law school. In contrast, Calgary lawyer Glenn Blackett opposes any mandatory training of this nature, arguing that ‘The Path’ contains ideological content and that law societies should focus solely on lawyers’ obligations to the law, the Constitution, and their clients.
“Koren Lightning, former Law Society ‘Indigenous’ initiatives liaison and a member of Samson Cree ‘Nation’ {They are legally named the ‘Samson Band, NOT ‘Nation’ – 9,612 people}, expressed disappointment, noting the course addressed historical gaps in education. She hopes lawyers will continue seeking this knowledge voluntarily to better serve clients.
“Overall, while the mandatory requirement ends, ‘Indigenous’ legal education remains available for those who choose it.”
–‘Alberta ends Mandatory Indigenous training course for lawyers’,
Digital News, July 27, 2026
https://cfweradio.ca/2026/07/27/alberta-makes-indigenous-education-voluntary-for-lawyers/
“A mandatory ‘Indigenous’ education program for Alberta lawyers will become voluntary in September under new provincial legislation that limits what professional regulators can require of their members. The change comes through Alberta’s “Regulated Professions Neutrality Act” (RPNA), which limits mandatory education requirements to areas directly related to professional competence and ethics.
“For the ‘Law Society of Alberta’, that means “The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada” will no longer be required for new lawyers or those transferring from other jurisdictions.
…
“A spokesperson for Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery said the act “ends the ability for regulators to require mandatory education or training unrelated to professional competence or ethics” but doesn’t prevent lawyers from pursuing additional training.
…
“Meanwhile, Calgary lawyer Glenn Blackett argues there should be no requirement for a law society to impose any sort of mandatory training. Blackett says ‘The Path’ contains what he describes as “ideological content” related to ‘post-colonialism’, and argues the law society should focus on ensuring lawyers uphold their professional obligations rather than advancing broader social or political objectives.
“The lawyer’s job is to be loyal to the law and the Constitution and be loyal to the clients”,
Blackett said.
“These types of courses shouldn’t really be part of the law society’s activities at all {!}.”
…
“To judge the value of the programs, lawyers and citizens need to look past beguiling labels like ‘harassment’ to see and understand their ideological content”,
he said.
…”
–‘Mandatory Indigenous training no longer required for Alberta lawyers’,
Mark Villani, CTV News, July 23, 2026
BACKGROUND – From 2023:
‘The Indoctrination of Alberta Lawyers’ (The ‘Path’) {Feb.6, 2023}:
“Alberta lawyers voted to retain a mandatory, and blatantly one-sided, Aboriginal Industry indoctrination course imposed on them by the Law Society. None of this is surprising, since one of the main financial beneficiaries of the billion-dollar, court-created Aboriginal Industry is the legal profession…”
https://endracebasedlaw.ca/2023/02/06/the-indoctrination-of-alberta-lawyers/
♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠
Websites:
END RACE BASED LAW inc. Canada
https://endracebasedlaw.wordpress.com/
ERBL Canada News Feed
https://endracebasedlawcanadanews.wordpress.com/
♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠
Facebook:
ERBL Main Page
https://www.facebook.com/ENDRACEBASEDLAW
ERBL Canada News Feed
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ENDRACEBASEDLAWnewsCanada
♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/ERBLincCanada
♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠
Petition to END RACE BASED LAW
https://endracebasedlaw.wordpress.com/petition-canada/
JOIN US IN THE FUTURE OF A UNIFIED CANADA
END RACE BASED LAW Daily News Canada 