Statement on Oath of Allegiance in Alberta
Updated on September 28, 2022 to reflect change from Queen to King
To be called to the bar and join the legal profession in Alberta, articling students are currently required to swear allegiance to the King under the Oaths of Office Act. While it is not within the power of the Law Society to amend legislation, we support an amendment to the Oaths of Office Act that would create flexibility for articling students by making the oath of allegiance to the King optional.
A change of this nature would be consistent with the approach taken in several other Canadian jurisdictions and would remove inequitable barriers to the practice of law in our province.
Through our initiatives such as the Articling Program Assessment Survey in 2019 and the My Experience Project in 2020–21, we have heard from lawyers who experience inequities and barriers in their everyday practice. The Law Society recently issued an acknowledgment recognizing systemic discrimination in the legal profession and the justice system, and we are committed to addressing issues of equity, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.