FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ULCC CONCLUDES ITS 108th ANNUAL MEETING

Winnipeg, Manitoba, August 2026 – The Uniform Law Conference of Canada (ULCC) – an organization supported by the federal, provincial and territorial governments that works to modernize and harmonize laws in Canada and considers proposals to reform criminal laws – held its 108th annual meeting in Winnipeg from August 17 to 21, 2026.

During the week, the ULCC’s Civil Section approved in principle the Uniform Non-disclosure Agreements Act. The Uniform Act is intended to protect individuals who have experienced discrimination, harassment, or abuse and who are in a weaker bargaining position when negotiating settlement agreements. The Section also adopted in principle the Uniform Cash Payments Act, which establishes a requirement to accept cash as payment for certain low-value consumer transactions, particularly those related to the purchase of necessities.

The Civil Section also received policy reports from working groups on six projects: Defamation Law in the Internet Age, Hybrid Charitable Organizations, Definition of Charity, Class Actions, Intestate Succession, and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments. Additionally, the President of the United States Uniform Law Commission (ULC) reported on the ULC’s projects, and a video presentation from the President of the European Law Institute (ELI) provided an update on ELI activities.

The ULCC’s Criminal Section debated and voted on proposals to reform Canadian criminal law by amending the Criminal Code and related statutes. It considered 26 resolutions on a wide range of criminal justice topics, including resolutions related to impaired driving, criminal negligence and robbery. Amongst others, the Section adopted a resolution recommending the formation of a working group related to mentally ill offenders in the criminal justice system.

The Criminal Section received the final report of the working group on statutory exemptions to mandatory minimum penalties of imprisonment. It also received status reports from two other working groups regarding the restriction of the publication of the name and other identifying information of an accused person; and section 672.26 and related sections of the Criminal Code concerning juries and fitness hearings.

At a joint session of the Civil and Criminal Sections, the delegates received a policy report from the Joint Working Group on the Treatment of Animals in Canadian Law, and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee presented the results of a demographic survey of ULCC contributors conducted following the 2025 annual meeting.

Both sections also attended the Earl Fruchtman Memorial Seminar. For this year’s seminar, a panel presented on the rule of law. The panel included two professors from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law, one representative from the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers, and a former chief judge of the Manitoba Provincial Court.

Delegates to the ULCC are legal experts invited by federal, provincial, and territorial governments. This year, attendees included prosecutors, government and private practice lawyers, members of the judiciary, law professors, and representatives from the Law Commission of Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, the Barreau du Québec, Canadian law reform organizations, and other legal organizations in Canada. Approximately 70 participants were in attendance for this year’s annual meeting, including the President and the Executive Director of the ULC.

The ULCC was founded in 1918 and over the years has recommended the implementation of numerous uniform acts and other law reform proposals. More recently, since 2015, the ULCC Civil Section has adopted 24 uniform acts and the Criminal Section has adopted more than 245 resolutions. These uniform acts and resolutions have often been enacted or found their way into federal, provincial, and territorial law.

Media contact:

Michelle Lemieux Wilkinson

Executive Director

mlemieux@ulcc-chlc.ca