Why Prof. Ryan Alford is taking on the Law Society of Ontario
Professor Ryan Alford is fast becoming one of the most controversial law profs in Ontario because he's taking a stand against the Law Society in court.
Recently the Law Society of Ontario implemented a requirement for all licensees in the province to affirm their commitment to promote equality and diversity in their professional lives. And while many are championing this new "Statement of Principles" as a way forward for racialized employees in the legal profession, Alford and others are claiming the methodology used by the Law Society is tantamount to forced speech.
In a recent video, Alford explains his reasoning for becoming one of the Law Society's most visible opponents to its Statement of Principles.
"We were taught that the government shouldn't be doing this. How have we come to a place where now the Law Society believes that...that they can be the agent of the state, forcing people to say what their values are. Or forcing them to profess a belief that they may or may not have. Regardless of the fact that people do in fact agree with the value, that really strikes them as coercive, something that the law society and the government shouldn't be doing. So much fear of saying that publicly. For that reason I'm very proud of being the person who is bringing that application."
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