Alberta’s Law Society Scraps DEI Committee in Wake of ‘Peterson Law’

The Law Society of Alberta has dissolved its equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI/DEI) committee for 2026 to comply with a new provincial freedom of expression law that bans mandatory EDI education and training.

Law Society of Alberta President Bud Melnyk told The Epoch Times the society’s EDI committee was not re-established as a result of the Regulated Professions Neutrality Act—also known as the Peterson law—that received royal assent last December.

The law, named after Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, prevents regulators from making education or training mandatory unless it pertains to professional competence. It applies to all professional regulatory bodies within the province, including those that regulate health professionals, tradespeople, and lawyers.

Melnyk said in an emailed statement that although the EDI committee was not re-established, it is “important to note the meaningful work that was advanced through the EDIC.”

“Going forward, permissible EDI initiatives will be advanced through the other strategic committees,” he said, but did not offer details on what those initiatives will be.

The law society has approved two committees for the 2026-2027 year to govern lawyer competence and ethics, Melnyk said.

The Lawyer Competence and Ethics Committee and the Policy and Regulatory Reform Committee were approved by the society last month to “address strategic work as directed by the Law Society of Alberta Board,” he said.

The committees will work on examining discrimination and harassment issues arising out of the society’s articling survey, a data-collection tool used to evaluate the mandatory apprenticeship period for new lawyers, he said.

The committees are also tasked with staying up-to-date on truth and reconciliation initiatives “within the regulatory landscape to consider an appropriate response in the Alberta context,” he said.

New Legislation

Alberta’s new wide-ranging freedom of expression law was nicknamed the Peterson law by Premier Danielle Smith in honour of Jordan Peterson, who was sanctioned in 2022 by the College of Psychologists of Ontario for his social media commentary.

The regulatory body for psychologists ordered Peterson to complete a social media training program on professionalism in making public statements. The order was issued after the college received complaints about social media posts made by Peterson.

The college said some of his posts referencing a plus-sized model, transgender actor Elliot Page, and several politicians may be “degrading” to the profession and could be classified as professional misconduct.

Peterson challenged the ruling but an Ontario court upheld the college’s training order. The 2023 court ruling said regulated professionals are entitled to freedom of expression under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but they are also required to adhere to the rules of their regulatory body, which can impose limits on their expression.

Peterson then took the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, which dismissed his challenge of the order in August 2024.

Smith has described Alberta’s law as a way to ensure people like Peterson are not reprimanded for speaking out on sensitive issues. She first proposed the law in 2024 and told reporters last fall that the bill is meant to protect professionals from disciplinary measures when it comes to “off-duty conduct.”

“No professional should fear losing their licence, their reputation or their livelihood because of a personal opinion, a social media post, an interview or open dialogue outside of working hours,” she told reporters during a Nov. 20 news conference.

Smith said regulatory bodies have a role in “safeguarding Albertans” but the role of regulators should stay in the workplace.

“When regulators begin disciplining people for simply speaking their mind on their own time, that’s overreach, and at its worst, it becomes an outright threat to free expression,” she said.

The part of the act that spurred the law society to get rid of its EDI training bans all compulsory equity, diversity, and inclusion training unless it relates to “professional competence or ethical standards.”

“Regulators will not be permitted to make cultural competency, unconscious bias, or diversity, equity and inclusion education or training mandatory,” the law says. “Regulators will only be able to require education or training that addresses political, historical, social or cultural issues if it directly relates to a matter of professional competence or ethics, and otherwise meets the specific requirements of the act.”

The Peterson law is set to take effect at a later date upon proclamation, the province has said. No specific date has been confirmed for when the act will come into force.