Ottawa, February 13, 2026 - In 2025, the employer decided to pause the Department of Justice Canada LP-01 Training and Development Program – and members took decisive action by filing 250 individual grievances in response. The AJC also initiated a judicial review application, an unfair labour practice complaint, and a policy grievance in support of members’ rights.  

We recently received the employer’s response to the policy grievance on the program’s pause of the LP-01 Training and Development Program – and predictably, the employer is doubling down and defending their decision to pause the program, instead of doing the right thing by reinstating the program and following through on promotions. The employer has failed to provide any meaningful timeline for the end of this so-called “pause.’’

We have referred the policy grievance to adjudication at the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB). Our judicial review application and unfair labour practice complaint are also proceeding. The judicial review application seeks to challenge the pause as an abuse of discretion and authority contrary to the Financial Administration Act and administrative law principles. The application also seeks the program’s reinstatement.

We have also escalated the issue politically, raising serious concerns with Members of Parliament and ministerial staff about the unfairness of the pause, the lack of transparency, and the fact that impacted members deserve the promotions they earned. Most recently, these concerns were raised before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance during its examination of Bill C-15, where Members of Parliament referenced the pause of the LP-01 Development Program and the broader risks to justice capacity. The issue is now part of the parliamentary record.

About the LP-01 program

The Department of Justice’s LP-01 Training and Development Program was launched in October 2020 to ensure legal practitioners are trained and promoted consistently, fairly and transparently.  

The program was paused without consultation in 2025, with Justice citing cuts directed by the Carney government. The move disproportionately affects young lawyers and is stalling their career prospects – even though many members in the program completed program requirements and earned their promotions. LP-01s are also the most affected classification in recent Workforce Adjustment notices: nearly half of WFA-affected members are LP-01s, raising serious concerns about the long-term impact on Canada’s legal capacity. In addition, approximately 64 percent of LP-01s are women, underscoring the significant equity implications of the pause.

We maintain that the employer’s decision was a breach of trust, an abuse of authority and an attack on fairness for members who have been denied the promotions they earned. In addition to referring the policy grievance to the FPSLREB, we have initiated discussions with the employer to move 250 individual grievances out of abeyance and through the internal grievance process.  

Support for impacted LP-01 members

Members impacted by the LP-01 program pause can access guidance on steps to take, including continuing to work on and document their workplans.  

Our position on these issues have been clear from the start: follow through on the promotions and reinstate the program as soon as possible, and deliver on the employment offers AJC members accepted in good faith. By moving forward with individual  grievances as well as the judicial review, unfair labour practice complaint, political advocacy and senior-level engagement, the AJC will continue to represent Canada’s legal team when it matters most.