Founded in 1974, the Law Union of Ontario is an organization of lawyers, paralegals, law students, legal workers, and community members who are committed to social justice and human rights. We understand that our participation in the legal profession affords not just an opportunity, but a responsibility to work for systemic social change and to counter the traditional hierarchies of power and privilege that structure the legal field and stratify society more broadly.
The traditional role of lawyers and legal institutions in Canada has been to protect social, political and economic inequity. We envision an alternative bar — one that supports progressive social movements, equitable redistribution of power and resources, accessibility of the law, and most importantly, justice for all.
We commit ourselves to the principles of anti-racism and anti-oppression. This involves dismantling systems and structures of domination based on class, poverty, race, colour, caste, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, immigration status, national identity, religion, ethnonationalism, settler colonialism, and other grounds. In particular we recognize that we have a duty to challenge the ongoing colonialism of the Canadian state. In collaboration with Indigenous peoples, we are committed to strengthening the multi-juridical legal system on this land such that Indigenous legal orders are no longer suppressed or subjugated but instead have recognized jurisdiction and authority.
We hold that human rights and the rights of the more-than-human world are more sacred than property rights. As such, we recognize our collective responsibility to protect the ecosystem at a time of grave peril. We are committed to safeguarding and extending the rights and freedoms of all people, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalized. We believe that individual and collective rights are best protected when the people have genuine power over all aspects of their lives, including the judicial process. Where we can, we will support and defend organizations and movements which work to protect these rights, freedoms, and the means of life required for them to be exercised substantively, in workplaces, communities, and at local, national, and international levels.
The Law Union of Ontario seeks to unite lawyers, paralegals, law students, and legal workers to function as an effective political and social force developing and engaging collective approaches to bring about systemic change. We know that different views exist on the means by which to dismantle or reform oppressive legal systems and institutions, and what to nurture, fortify, and build in their place. We do not expect there to be complete agreement or unanimity among our membership on any given project, but the essence of our organization is a commitment to collective struggle.
The Law Union is a membership-based organization, run by a Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is elected annually at a General Membership Meeting, and meets once a month. Steering Committee meetings are open to all Law Union members. The Law Union has several active working groups, including a Policing Committee, Prisons Committee, and the Movement Defence Committee. The Law Union also has active chapters across various law schools in Ontario.