David M Tanovich, law professor in the areas of criminal law and legal ethics at the University of Windsor, wrote in The Globe and Mail: 'Should white male lawyers have an ethical duty to say no the next time the federal justice minister comes calling, in order to force systemic change? In my view, the answer is yes.'

Bar Association

Since 2012, he calculates that 46 professional lawyers have taken up judicial appointments on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal. With women representing under a quarter of these appointments and non-whites represented by just one person, Professor Tanovich believes that 'things aren't much better in the other provinces'. Despite numerous calls for more diversity from a range of bodies including the Canadian Bar Association, he says 'the government...refuses to act'. 

Drastic solution

He, therefore, proposes: 'A drastic solution is needed, and one would be to place an ethical obligation on white male lawyers to say no.' Source: The Globe and Mail