Vivene Salmon, the president of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), is visiting Whitehorse this week to connect with the Yukon’s membership of legal professionals.

“Each jurisdiction is the same, but a little different,” Salmon told the Star Thursday.

“I hopefully get one-on-one time just to talk to members and hear their concerns, see what they’re enthusiastic about here.”

The Yukon branch of the CBA is hosting its mid-winter conference at the MacBride Museum today.

The CBA is an advocacy organization representing 36,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and students across the country. It works to promote fair justice systems, reform and equality in the legal profession.

Salmon began her presidency last September. She is the vice-president compliance at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Toronto.

She has served on the CBA’s board of directors since 2017 and was named one of the Top 25 Canadian Women of Influence for 2020.

Salmon addressed attendees of the Yukon’s 75-member CBA chapter this morning, as part of the president’s mandate to visit every jurisdiction during her one-year presidency.

She said one of her priorities is to connect with young lawyers in the territory.

“It’s to really make sure our young lawyers feel that they have a home in the CBA, and they understand how it can be a really critical association for fostering their development as lawyers,” Salmon said.

One of the benefits to CBA membership, Salmon says, is the community it provides. The organization works to advocate for its members as well as provide mentorship and professional development opportunities.

Attendees of today’s conference participated in educational seminars on sexual harassment in the workplace, environmental law, defamation on social media and the Yukon’s new Liquor Act.

Salmon also led a session on diversity in the legal profession, another priority for her as CBA president.

“I’m the first racialized person to lead the association in 124 years now … I do think it’s neat that we’re at this juncture in the association where somebody like me could be in this leadership position,” Salmon said.

“I think it’s a true honour–– it’s also daunting, but I think that it’s important to have different voices, and these different voices feel that they belong.”

Diversity is one aspect of the CBA’s larger mandate of upholding progressive policies. Salmon said there has been internal work to bring truth and reconciliation to the forefront of the CBA’s professional development efforts.

In 2016, the CBA resolved to develop a work plan with respect to truth and reconciliation.

Last week, the CBA’s annual general meeting passed a resolution to support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The CBA has also established an Indigenous advisory group, composed of five Indigenous lawyers who will offer consultation services on difficult issues.

“We are trying to do our part, in terms of tackling these issues, in terms of ensuring that our members are more educated about what’s happening with respect to truth and reconciliation,” Salmon said.

She noted that this won’t be achieved overnight, as everybody comes to the issue with a different background of education and experience.

The association is working to “bridge that divide” through education initiatives.

CBA members now receive a monthly newsletter of educational resources, and a professional development video is in the works.

In the Yukon and nationally, Salmon said the biggest justice issues concerning the CBA are access to justice, solicitor-client privilege and advocacy for CBA membership.

Access to justice means there is an “ongoing quest” to make the system more user-friendly, particularly in the Yukon, where the territory’s 11 self-governing First Nations provide unique circumstances.

On the whole, Salmon said she is pleased with the CBA membership’s work, including pro bono and charity initiatives.

“Sometimes, it’s just mind-blowing what our members do,” Salmon said.

“I want to make sure our members know I’m really proud of all the time and commitment they put in, to make this association what it is.”