In November 2014, the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice launched a new series on the A2J blog titled Access to Justice Advocates. The series is a response to recent reports that have underscored the importance of innovation and imagination in the pursuit of access to justice. At CFCJ, we understand that such efforts come down to people–to the diverse advocates working in different and...
It’s been over thirteen years since terrorism made its way into the public consciousness through the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Yet, despite tightened security, increased antipathy towards Muslims, and years of war and torture, the slew of recent terrorist activity makes it seem like the West’s attempt to subdue extremist militant behaviour has only served to alter the nature of...
Raising Awareness on Everyday Environmentally-Friendly Initiatives When Osgoode students were asked to name a sustainability initiative on campus, the majority were able to name at least one or two great projects. For instance, many knew that reusable cutlery, mugs, and plates are available in the Bistro to minimize packaging waste. But did you know that the Bistro also offers a twenty-five cent...
How did it come about, what is it doing, and where is it heading? Islamic State (IS) introduced itself to the Western world this summer through the infamous beheading videos. The official name for the group is the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Arab acronym of Da’ish, or the self-termed IS). It is a Sunni caliphate...
What’s at stake in the Law Library’s new policy on access? Change is afoot at Osgoode Hall. On November 17, the Law Library instituted a “restricted-access policy,” prohibiting non-Osgoode students and community members from using the Library’s study spaces for the remainder of 2014. In an email to the student body sent on November 13, Chief Law Librarian Louis...
Towards a Less Constitutional Constitutionalism On November 12, 2014, Stacy Douglas, assistant professor at Carleton University and constitutional scholar, visited Osgoode Hall Law School as part of the Law.Art.Culture Colloquium Series. She presented on the problem that constitutions, often considered to be the primary devices with which to construct new political communities, have a tendency to...
Putin’s Struggle to Revive the Soviet State “I guess I’ll shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine.” These were the words used by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the President of Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, in their initial meeting during the first day of the 2014 G20 summit. This was Canada’s official response to what...
The A2J Blog on the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice website features leading voices in access to justice research and advocacy. It publishes submissions from a range of individuals at the forefront of access to justice initiatives – from senior scholars to engaged law students. Recent contributors include Ab Currie (CFCJ Senior Research Fellow), JP Boyd (Executive Director of the Canadian...
Want to Win 1 of 20 Prize Packages from WestlawNext Canada?! Headphones, Portable Batteries, I-Tunes Gift Cards, USB Keys and more. Prizes packages vary. Contact ‘Christian’ for full details. This contest is only open to Osgoode Hall Law Students, and with so many prizes, your odds are great! How to Enter: Follow @WestlawCanada on Twitter (Link: ) Send the correct answer to the daily trivia...
Douglas, Ghomeshi, and Process in Sexual Assault T’was the best of times for sexual predators, t’was the worst of times for the women upon which they prey. A female judge faces removal from the bench for an incident involving nude photos which were shown and distributed online without her knowledge or consent. She has been the subject of a pernicious and protracted inquiry for over two and a half...
On November 4, the Senate approved Bill C-36 with no amendments on its third reading. By the end of the year, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) will inevitably receive royal assent (if it hasn’t already by the time of this article’s publication), squeaking in before the deadline set by the Supreme Court after it struck down Canada’s previous prostitution laws last...
Today, the leaders of Canada’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (“LGBTQ”) law students wrote to the Honourable Amrik Virk, British Columbia’s Minister of Advanced Education, to request that he reverse his Ministry’s approval of Trinity Western University’s (“TWU’s”) law degrees. TWU’s ‘Community Covenant Agreement’...
Amidst a generally perceived crisis in access to justice, increasing emphasis has recently been placed on the potential role of paralegals to offer affordable, efficient, and effective legal assistance to people with unmet legal needs. The Paralegals and Access to Justice case study was initiated by Professor David Wiseman of University of Ottawa, Faculty of Common Law, to investigate the extent...
A different kind of civil disobedience On Friday, October 31, the Asian Law Students of Osgoode in conjunction with the Dean’s office welcomed Mr. Jason Ng, an adjunct lecturer at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law and head of Debt Capital Markets Legal at PNB Paribas Hong Kong, to speak on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement known as “Occupy Central” or the “Umbrella Revolution.” This...
The Osgoode Indigenous Students Association (OISA) attended the Indigenous Bar Association’s (IBA) 26th annual conference in Calgary on October 2 to 4th. Elder Clarence Wolfleg welcomed the IBA back to the location of its first conference, and introduced participants to Treaty 7 territory with prayer and smudging from a sitting position. All were welcomed to the conference by a drum song...
In October 2013, the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters* released its final report, A Roadmap For Change. The report outlined detailed recommendations, and called on diverse justice system stakeholders to improve access to justice in Canada. The “nine-point roadmap” advocated for increasing funding for legal aid, strengthening the Early Resolution Services Sector...
…and it’s a pretty cool place. As a 3L Student Caucus representative, I have the pleasure of sitting on the Osgoode Community Enhancement Forum (OCEF). Last year the OCEF considered how fostering a better relationship between Osgoode students and York University might improve the overall student experience at Osgoode. While this goal is obviously a work in progress, in this article I want to...
SENATE INITIATIVE OFFERS NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO THE PUBLIC This year, following a tumultuous period in which Justin Trudeau cast off his thirty-two Liberal senators in favour of younger, more PR-friendly caucus members, the newly self-styled Liberal caucus has launched a public campaign hoping to reinvigorate both the Senate and themselves. Led by caucus leader James Cowan, the Liberal senators...
Fall elections fill vacancies as Student Caucus ramps up for the new academic year Elections for 1L Student Caucus Representatives took place on September 15, 2014. The results saw Quinlin “Quin” Gilbert-Walters (1L Section A Rep), Lauren Katz (1L Section B Rep), Camille Walker (1L Section C Rep), and Chelsea Caldwell (1L Section D Rep) chosen to be their section representatives. They add to the...
Conflicts of Laws Under First Nations Self-Government Agreements The era of First Nations self-government agreements began in 1975 with the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec agreement. The next agreement was not signed until 1993. Since then, close to two dozen more have been signed and several more are under negotiation. These agreements recognize a broad range of regulatory...
ISIS Edition Last month, President Obama laid out his plan to combat the Islamic State (referred to as both ISIS and ISIL) with air strikes in Iraq and Syria. Canada and the United Kingdom have both decided to join the US-led campaign targeting ISIS in Iraq. However, legal scholars have been mixed on whether this bombing campaign is considered legal under international and US domestic laws. How...
Why a pandemic in one country is business as usual in another Given how Ebola has been spreading through West Africa without any signs of slowing down, one would think there’d be greater panic with the announcement that the infectious disease has entered America. But that’s not the case. Public health officials echo the words of Tom Frieden, Director of the Centre for Disease Control, “[T]here...
Data Collection is Complete The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice recently completed a national study that surveyed over three thousand Canadians about their everyday legal problems. The survey is part of “The Cost of Justice: Weighing the Cost of Fair and Effective Resolution to Legal Problems”—an interdisciplinary, five-year long study funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research...
How Factory Farmed Animals are Neglected in the Canadian Legal System Last year, an undercover investigator from Mercy For Animals Canada released footage revealing that the turkeys in a Hybrid Turkeys breeding facility in Bright, Ontario were being clubbed and kicked by employees of the facility, hit with shovels, left with open wounds, and being subjected to what can only be classified as...
A week of engaging discussions and activities on various mental health topics Mental Health Awareness Week is right around the corner! With five days of action-packed activities, #MHAW2014 kicks off on Monday, October 20 and will run until Friday, October 24. The featured events range from a group of distinguished panellists sharing their insights into mental health within the legal profession...