I'm off to the Uniform Law Conference of Canada tomorrow to represent the Law Commission of Ontario.
The ULCC's purpose is to develop uniform laws with the goal of harmonizing legislation across Canada. Attendees from the justice ministries of the provincial, territorial and federal governments, along with representatives of organizations such as bar associations (and guests from sister organizations in Mexico and the United States), meet annually at a different location in Canada. This year it's being held in Whitehorse. I've attended meetings in Charlottetown, Quebec City, Halifax and Ottawa. The conference lasts from early afternoon on the Sunday to noon on the following Thursday - several days of intense consideration of new proposals, research and proposed uniform statutes that have been developed over the preceding year. In this the process is very different from that of the provincial law commissions which to some degree or another undertake consultation with respect to their law reform projects.
The law reform agencies are invited to send representatives as part of the provincial delegations and there is usually at least one representative from each of the commissions. Some law reform agency representatives have played an active role in the ULCC over a period of many years.The ULCC sits in two groups, one for criminal law, the other for civil law, and the law reform agencies reps sit with the civil group. There are one or two sessions with both groups.
Since its inception in 1918, the ULCC has created a long list of uniform (or model) statutes. While some of the proposed uniform acts inevitably sit on the books, there have been many that have been adopted by at least some jurisdictions, sometimes in modified form.
So I'm off on my first visit to Whitehorse tomorrow to see what we can learn from what is going on in the world of uniform law!
