Lawyers becoming active in Alberta are required to take the Indigenous Cultural Competency Education called The Path (Law Society of Alberta) – Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada. This currently applies to those who are transferring into Alberta or those who are reinstating after being inactive since before April 2021 when the education was launched. Lawyers who have the status of active non-practising are the only exception to this.
Lawyers have nine months to complete the course or apply for an exemption. Lawyers can confirm their deadline in the Lawyer Portal under Mandatory Education.
Update on The Path
In 2025, the Government of Alberta introduced the Regulated Professions Neutrality Act. Once it comes into force, the Path will no longer be mandatory for Alberta lawyers. The Path will continue to be available at no cost to Alberta lawyers interested in taking the education.
The Path was introduced in response to the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Call to Action #27, which calls upon Canadian law societies to ensure lawyers receive Indigenous cultural competency training. With over 10,500 Alberta lawyers completing the Path over the past five years, the Law Society is confident that we have responded to this important call to action in a meaningful way.
Exemptions
Lawyers who have completed another course on Indigenous history of Canada and lawyers who have experiences with Aboriginal law and Indigenous law or legal traditions may be eligible for an exemption. The Law Society will also continue to automatically exempt lawyers who have completed the Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) through the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) in Alberta.
About the Course
The course has six modules and takes approximately five to six hours to complete.
Read this How-To Guide for instructions on registration and beginning the course. The modules and topics are detailed here, along with the length of each respective video.Â
The Path FAQs
The link on the first page of the How-To Guide will take you to the general NVision registration page. There are several different versions of The Path available on the website. Please ensure you register for the course titled The Path – Law Society of Alberta. This course is near the top of page three on the available course list page.
NVision has reviewed the course for accessibility with those using assistive devices. Video segments include closed captioning, as well as a downloadable narration file.
The written content and quiz questions are accessible with text to voice and screen readers. There are also downloadable resources such as a glossary of terms. These resources are usually PDF files but are also available as Microsoft Word files, upon request. There is also a written transcript that describes the full course.
A certificate of completion is issued through the NVision website. Keep the certificate to verify course completion. You should not have to produce this certificate unless requested by the Law Society.
There is an area in the CPD section of the Lawyer Portal for active lawyers that displays your status related to completion of the education. Complete the following steps to view your completion status:
- Login to the Lawyer Portal.
- Select CPD from the drop-down menu.
- Select Mandatory Education.
- If Indigenous Cultural Competency Education is not showing in the table at the bottom of the page, use the toggle for Show History.
Your status will not be changed to completed automatically, however we do regular updates. If you need further help checking your status, you can contact Customer Service.
Before certifying you are eligible for an exemption, check with your law firm or organization as we were advised that some firms/organizations are not permitting exemptions.
Individual lawyers are responsible for assessing their prior education and experiences in Indigenous cultural competency. Details about exemption eligibility are provided in Question 21–22. If you believe you qualify for an exemption, certify this through the Lawyer Portal.
To certify an exemption, complete the following steps:
- Login to the Lawyer Portal.
- Select CPD from the drop-down menu.
- Select Mandatory Education.
- In the table at the bottom of the page, select the three lines under options.
- From the sub-menu, select Certification.
- Choose the reason for Exemption.
- If you certify that you have completed education or knowledge sufficient to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action 27, you are required to provide more information in the textbox provided.
- Select OK.
Please note, if Law Society has further questions regarding your exemption request, a member of the Education department will follow-up to request more information.
Lawyers may request an extension to the nine-month completion requirement of The Path (Law Society of Alberta) through the Lawyer Portal. Extensions may only be requested in the event of maternity/parental leave or medical leave/illness. The extended due date cannot be more than one year after the current due date.
To request an extension, complete the following steps:
- Login to the Lawyer Portal.
- Select CPD from the drop-down menu.
- Select Mandatory Education.
- In the table at the bottom of the page, select the three lines under options.
- From the sub-menu, select Extension.
- Choose the reason for extension and input a date.
- Select OK.
Throughout The Path (Law Society of Alberta), there are topics covered that occurred in Canada that are disturbing to some viewers. If you need to talk to someone, or need support, we encourage you to reach out to the Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Assist).
The toll-free Hope for Wellness Help Line, at 1.855.242.3310, is available 24/7 to all Indigenous people across Canada and the online chat link can be found on their website. The toll-free 24-hour National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is 1.866.925.4419 to receive immediate emotional assistance.
You will be required to take The Path (Law Society of Alberta) within nine months of becoming a member of the Law Society of Alberta. While we appreciate some are eager to complete this education, you are not eligible to take the course until you are a member of the Law Society of Alberta. We are unable to track completion of transferring lawyers before you have a Member ID. If you have taken a similar course mandated by another Law Society, you may be eligible for an exemption.Â
As per the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta (see Rules 67.4), lawyers who do not complete the Indigenous education or certify an exemption by their deadline will be administratively suspended.