Alberta: court rules oath of allegiance for lawyers violates charter of rights
The Alberta Court of Appeal has ruled that the requirement for aspiring lawyers to swear an oath of allegiance to the sovereign—under Law Society of Alberta admission rules—violates the religious-freedom protections in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In the case Wirring v Law Society of Alberta, the court found that forcing the appellant, an amritdhari Sikh, to choose between his religious commitments and professional aspirations amounted to an unjustifiable infringement of his freedom of religion. The decision invalidated the relevant legislative provision, meaning the oath of allegiance is no longer required for bar admission in Alberta — though other professional oaths remain in effect. The ruling was welcomed by civil-liberties advocates as a step toward more inclusive representation in the legal profession.