On June 8, 2026, Justice Clayton Conlan, CSCJA Past President and Vice-President of the International Association of Judges (IAJ), appeared as a witness before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights in support of Bill S-219, An Act to establish Judicial Independence Day. The bill would designate January 11 of each year as Judicial Independence Day in Canada, commemorating the 1000 Robes March held in Warsaw, Poland, on January 11, 2020.
The bill passed Committee, and on the evening of June 11, the Senate of Canada passed Bill S-219. It now moves to the House of Commons for consideration.
On behalf of the IAJ, Justice Conlan thanked the CSCJA for its support of the initiative, and acknowledged Senator Judy White for sponsoring the bill in this session, as well as Senator Pierre Moreau, who first introduced it and whose continued support was instrumental in getting it this far.
The CSCJA will continue to monitor the bill’s progress through the House of Commons, with the hope that Canada’s adoption of Judicial Independence Day will help build momentum toward UN recognition of January 11 as an International Day of Judicial Independence.
