Lawyer Raises Concerns Over Changes to Reconciliation Programs Within Alberta’s Legal Profession

By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – An Alberta Cree lawyer is raising concerns about the future of Indigenous education, mentorship, and equity initiatives within the legal profession following recent changes announced by the Law Society of Alberta.

Koren Lightning, an Alberta lawyer regulated by the Law Society of Alberta and a Cree lawyer with Thunderbird Law, said she was disappointed after learning several programs supporting Indigenous lawyers, law students, and equity initiatives would be ending or changing.

It’s disappointing “when you see your work and work of other amazing lawyers disappear before your eyes,” Lightning wrote.

The Law Society of Alberta announced in its July newsletter that “The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada” would no longer be mandatory for new lawyers joining the Law Society. The organization also announced that the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee was not re-established for the 2026–27 committee year, and that the Indigenous Mentorship Program and Indigenous Law Student Summer Employment Program would conclude at the end of their current program cycles in summer 2026.

Lightning said the changes were expected following provincial legislative changes, including the Regulated Professions Neutrality Act and amendments connected to the Legal Profession Act.

“I knew it was going to happen as we learned about the different legislations,” Lightning said. “So the Regulated Profession Neutrality Act and the Legal Profession Act, those changes that came through last fall, were passed. And so we knew they were coming into force.”

However, she said the announcement was still disappointing, particularly because of the lack of consultation with members of the legal profession.

“It was just wondering how the Law Society was going to respond and what they were going to remove,” Lightning said. “So it was still disappointing that there wasn’t a lot of consultation with their members.”

Mandatory Indigenous Education and Reconciliation

When asked how lawyers can continue advancing reconciliation without mandatory Indigenous cultural competency training, Lightning pointed to differences between Alberta and other jurisdictions.

“It’s mandatory in other provinces,” Lightning said. “Ontario just made it mandatory.”

She explained that Indigenous cultural education continues to be part of legal education in some areas, but additional training requirements can help address gaps for lawyers who may not have received that education.

“It’s still taken in law school, but to fill that gap of people who haven’t done the training, there’s nothing we can require them to do,” Lightning said.

Without a mandatory requirement, she said the responsibility shifts to individual lawyers to seek out education and better understand Indigenous histories, communities, and experiences with the justice system.

“It would be up to them and their own personal accord to want to take that additional training,” she said.

Concerns Beyond Mandatory Training

Lightning said she understands the legislation created limitations around mandatory cultural competency requirements. “The cultural competency training was mandatory, and the new Regulated Profession Neutrality Act does say that you can’t make certain training mandatory if it affects their profession,” she said.

However, she said her concerns extend beyond the removal of mandatory training and include the ending of programs that provided direct support to Indigenous students and lawyers. “There was the removal of the mentorship programs, the Indigenous Mentorship Program stopped abruptly, and then there was the removal of the Equity and Diversity Committee, and then there was the removal of the Indigenous Law Student Summer Employment Program,” Lightning said.

She said members were not given advance notice before those decisions were announced. “We didn’t know about the removal of those until we got a letter from the Law Society,” she said. “There was no heads-up to Indigenous members or any other members of the profession at all.”

Impact on Indigenous Law Students and Young Lawyers

Lightning said the Indigenous Mentorship Program was an important resource for Indigenous law students navigating the profession. “It was a place for them if they didn’t have connections to be able to make connections with the mentor program or find a placement that was safe for Indigenous law students,” she said.

The program helped students connect with experienced lawyers and mentors,  find summer placements, and gain professional experience in supportive environments. It helped students throughout their careers, Lightning said.

With the program ending, Lightning said more responsibility may now fall on Indigenous lawyers, law firms, and other members of the legal profession to create those opportunities. “It’ll have to go on the back of Indigenous lawyers to do some more work and support them,” she said.

She said having the Law Society support the program provided important recognition and structure. “It was nice to have it supported by the Law Society and have a specific program for that,” Lightning said.

A Broader Conversation About Regulated Professions

Lightning also emphasized that these changes are not limited to lawyers.

Regulated professions are occupations overseen by professional regulatory organizations that set standards for education, ethics, licensing, and public accountability. These include lawyers, doctors, nurses, social workers, engineers, and many other professions.

“This regulated professions act doesn’t just affect lawyers,” Lightning said. “It does affect all regulated professions.”

She said Albertans should consider how other professions will respond to changes involving cultural competency, equity, and diversity training.

“We just happen to be the ones that are talking about this profession exactly,” she said.

Reconciliation as an Ongoing Commitment

Lightning said reconciliation cannot be viewed as a short-term initiative or something that can simply be completed. “I think we have to reflect back on the Calls to Action and looking at them as a whole and what do they mean,” she said.

“It’s not just about checking a box and then saying, okay, we did this, we can remove it now. We did this for two years, so now we don’t need to do it anymore. That’s not what reconciliation is.”

For Lightning, reconciliation requires long-term change. “It’s about a process,” she said. “It’s about changing the foundation.”

She said reconciliation is not limited to professional responsibilities. “It’s not just from a day job, but for a whole – it’s a 24-hour thing,” Lightning said.

A Call for Accountability

Lightning said one concrete action the Law Society could take is engaging directly with Indigenous lawyers, students, and other equity-seeking members. “I would say they should engage with Indigenous lawyers and students about how this is affecting them,” she said.

She also pointed to the upcoming Law Society of Alberta bencher election. Benchers are elected members who serve as the governing board of the Law Society and help make decisions about the regulation of the profession.

Lightning said candidates should be asked how they plan to address the gaps created by removing these programs. “What are your thoughts on this and how are you planning to fill the gap that you removed, that you created?” she said.

Despite the changes, Lightning said she does not believe Indigenous advocacy within Alberta’s legal profession is ending. “I don’t think it’s the end of an era,” she said.

She noted that many lawyers continue to support Indigenous cultural competency training. “I’m confident and I know that the majority of the lawyers in Alberta have taken this training but also support this training,” Lightning said.

Lightning encouraged lawyers and law firms to continue this work even without a mandatory requirement. “How can they mandate it in their own practice? Like in their own firms and spaces,” she said.

For Lightning, the future of reconciliation will depend on how professionals choose to act. “Even if it’s not mandatory, how do we be better lawyers, provide better service to Indigenous clients?” she said.