Friends and colleagues,

It is my honour to serve as Planning Chair for ITL Conference 2027, and a privilege to share where we are headed.

Next April, we are taking the conference to Vancouver under a theme that captures the essence of our journey and our future: Many Paths, One Profession: ITLs and the Future of Canadian Law.

Every internationally trained lawyer in this country arrived by a different road. Some of us practised for years before immigrating to Canada; Some retrained from the ground up. We came from different jurisdictions, speaking different languages, with diverse perspectives on what it means to be a lawyer. No two paths look the same.

And yet, we have all arrived at the same place. We are united in one profession, adhering to one standard, and serving as vital parts of one Canadian Bar.

This theme is both an affirmation and an invitation. It honours the distance each of us has travelled, and it signals our forward-looking posture: we are here, we are contributing, and we are actively shaping the future of Canadian law. To our colleagues across the wider legal community, this theme is a recognition that a profession is stronger when built from many origins, and it is an open hand extended to everyone who shares our work.

This is the natural next chapter in the story we have been telling for years. In 2025, we spoke of Crossing Borders and Breaking Barriers. In 2026, we moved From Hurdles to Horizons. Now, in 2027, we arrive at the work of belonging and building—demonstrating that we are not merely present, but are integral to the future of the profession itself.

We will close the conference with a gala under the theme Threads of Our Heritage, where we invite you to attend in the cultural attire of your heritage – the foundational culture that shapes you. Just as our many paths weave into one shared profession, the gala event will serve as a striking, dignified statement of our collective identity and pride as internationally trained professionals.

So consider this your earliest invitation. Come to Vancouver. Bring your unique path, however long or winding it was, and stand alongside everyone who took a different one to the same destination.

Many paths brought us here. One profession holds us now.

I look forward to welcoming you to Vancouver in April 2027, when we can enjoy the pleasant spring weather of the Pacific coast.

Warm regards,

Cynthia Okafor

2027 Conference Planning Chair