Lawyer Monthly Magazine -December 2019 Edition

Lastly, I have come to feel quite small in the enormity of it all. The more cases one does like this, the more you realise the magnitude of the work that is left to be done. Following the last of nine court attendances across Canada in the Yukon to approve the Pan- Canadian settlement in 2006, I remember walking out of the courtroom into a snowy October night and instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, I felt an overwhelming feeling that this yourself and your firm into a case for a very long time and risk much time, money, effort and treasure. One of my cases went to the Court of Appeal four times, along with four attendant leaves to the Supreme Court of Canada. Patience and resolve mean everything in this practice area. You have worked on some of the most notable and historic Canadian cases – what lessons have you learned from them? First and foremost, I am immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to work on cases like Residential Schools, Sixties Scoop, the purge of LGBQT members of the military, disabled institutionalised persons and the Ecuadorian villagers against Chevron, to name a few. History looms large in actions like these so putting aside the legal issues, it is has been a vastly informative historical lesson for me. From the circumstances surrounding Newfoundland’s Confederation with Canada, the legacy of residential schools, the appalling state and evolution of our institutions for vulnerable persons to the manner in which certain mining companies have traditionally operated, it has been an eye-opening history lesson. I have also learned the value for some of our society’s most marginalised persons of simply having their stories heard, many for the very first time. It is very unsettling that so many people across Canada live in incredibly desperate straits, often in deep suffering as a result of events from their past. For many of these people, a class proceeding represents an opportunity for them to have a platform to voice their experiences and harm. There is great power to this as there can be no healing without truth first. 23 DEC 2019 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM My Legal Life By Celeste Poltak, Koskie Minsky LLP was just a small step forward on a long path ahead. What has been your biggest achievement in the past year? The thing I am most proud of during 2019 actually has nothing to do with practicing law, but many traits I have learned as a lawyer that were my saving grace. My spouse was running for re-election in the Federal Election this fall and for about 100 days in a row, I worked on his campaign. I did everything from fundraise, debate preparation, install law signs, organise rallies and recruit volunteers. But the one thing I did every single day was knock on doors. It is, all at the same time, the most humbling, humiliating, inspiring and interesting experience. By the end of the campaign, I had literally knocked on tens of thousands of doors, worn out many pairs of sneakers and advocated policy issues ranging from climate change, electoral reform, indigenous issues, immigration, deficits, veterans’ affairs, protection of the Artic, Canada’s relationship with China, community safety, dignity for seniors and everything in between. In essence, I spent every single one of those days talking and arguing about what matters to all Canadians. It is not for the faint of heart. But the lessons I have learned “The very purpose of the class proceedings regime is designed to increase access to justice and promote judicial economy”