The demand for regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly prominent in Canada. Many people are concerned about the impact of AI and are calling for the government to take action. Experts such as Yoshua Bengio, founder and scientific director of Mila-Quebec AI Institute, are urging the government to establish legal provisions for AI. According to Bengio, all general-purpose...
On 22 December 2023, the government of Canada had announced a “[t]emporary public policy to facilitate temporary resident visas for certain extended family affected by the crisis in Gaza.” The policy will allow a pathway to temporary residence (up to 3 years) for family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and their immediate family members, who are Palestinian nationals directly...
In the annual Toronto Public Library (TPL) year-end message, City Librarian Vickery Bowles characterized the library as being a “crime scene.” The TPL is the largest public library system in Canada, and has been recognized as being one of the busiest libraries in North America. It serves millions who live, study, or work in Toronto with one hundred branches, providing free access to books...
January is known to be Alzheimer’s Awareness Month across Canada. With the awareness of Alzheimer’s, it is critical to be reminded of the impact of dementia on the lives of many Canadians. The experiences of those suffering from Alzheimer’s continue, and must be learned about to reinforce human rights and encourage policy changes. The Alzheimer’s Society recognizes and supports the...
On November 9, 2023, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) delivered its judgement on Peckford v Canada (Attorney General), 2023 FCA 219. Among the appellants were the Honourable Brian Peckford, former Premier of Newfoundland and the only surviving first minister who was involved with the enactment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter), and the Honourable Maxime Bernier...
Family violence leaves enduring scars on the fabric of society, echoing through generations with its silent, yet deafening impact. In the last few years, discourse surrounding how Canada addresses family violence has garnered significant attention, sparking crucial conversations about legal frameworks and societal responses. In 2022, the Ontario Superior Court heard what would become a ground...
On June 6, 2021, Nathanael Veltman drove his pickup truck into a family of five in London, Ontario, resulting in the tragic deaths of Talat Afzaal, her son Salman Afzaal, and his wife Madiha Salman. Two of their young children were also harmed: only the 9-year-old boy survived. On November 16, 2023, Veltman was finally found guilty for four counts of first-degree murder and one count of...
Last month, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) ruled that the Impact Assessment Act, 2019 (“IAA”) is unconstitutional in part. The majority for the SCC held that while the federal government can define criteria for areas touching federal jurisdiction, they cannot do so for provincial areas. The majority’s primary area of focus was on the statutory element which enabled the feds to use the public...
Halfway through the 2023 Cricket World Cup, we explore the sport’s ability to further decolonization The ICC CWC trophy with the Taj Mahal in the background. Source: Al Jazeera What do India, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Sri Lanka have in common? History buffs may recognize them as former British colonies. But cricket fans know them as the top five teams of the 2023 ICC Cricket World...
On 24 October 2023, Iceland held a twenty-four-hour strike supporting gender equality. The rally was organized by forty-five organizations and saw thousands of women and non-binary people across Iceland standing in solidarity. Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir joined the cause, stating that she and all the women in the cabinet would not work on this day. The rally holds great significance after...
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan have been in a state of war since April 2023. An estimated 9,000 people have lost their lives in what has become one of the worst humanitarian crises on the African subcontinent in recent years. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 5.8 million people have been displaced internally...
Making Canadian Competition Akin to the EU “Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you are meant to be.” This line from The Last Jedi, spoken by Kylo Ren, is wrong because you cannot reshape the future without understanding the past; breaking away requires what went wrong and trying to fix it. This is why Rey was the heroine of the film. But wait… this...
CHBA student chapter representatives The Canadian Hispanic Bar Association (CHBA) hosted an event in recognition of five Latin American law student organizations across Eastern Canadian law schools becoming official CHBA chapters. The momentous event was held at the University of Toronto Law building on 15 September 2023 and brought together law students, lawyers, and legal professionals from...
This year marks the third annual National Truth and Reconciliation Day recognized across Canada. Every year on September 30, the National Truth and Reconciliation Day and the Orange Shirt Day honour Indigeneity and calls for reflecting on the intergenerational trauma of residential schools. This day was made into a federal statutory holiday in 2021 to uphold the Truth and Reconciliation...
Katalin Karikó’s initial disbelief in winning the 2023 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine alongside her partner, American immunologist, Drew Weissman, reflects her humility and modesty, despite the significant impact of her contributions on global health. While you may not recognize her name, you are undoubtedly aware of her accomplishments. Karikó and Weissman pioneered research on...
An inside scoop into how an old moot was given new life. The Eureka Moment On a hot June summer day, as I was furiously working away on a legal memorandum that was poised to be blacklined into oblivion by one of my supervising partners, I decided to take a quick break in the Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP lunchroom. As I downed my third Diet Coke of the day, I received an email from the...
Have you tried OpenAI’s ChatGPT lately? OpenAI, an artificial intelligence (AI) research company originally founded by Sam Altman amongst others, have the mission to develop AI tools to, as stated on their website, “ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.” ChatGPT—which is an AI-powered chat robot—was launched by OpenAI in November 2022, and its success has led many...
On 17 February, The Globe and Mail released their investigation of Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) documents which revealed China’s strategy to influence the 2021 election. Since assuming office in 2012, President Xi Jinping has taken a more aggressive foreign policy approach, yet the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) still claims it adheres to the international custom of non...
Premiers and territorial leaders across Canada may be able to finally take a collective sigh of relief as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tables a funding offer to help Canada’s struggling health care system. The provinces are already scheduled to get a 9.5-per-cent increase in healthcare transfers this year, amounting to $49.4 billion from the $45.2-billion in projected payments in the 2022-23...
As of 31 January 2023, the British Columbia government plans to decriminalize possession of up to 2.5 grams of certain drugs by those over 18, which is the first exemption of its kind in Canada. Given the overdose and drug crisis that is occurring in the province, the government’s response in decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of these drugs is aimed to reduce barriers and stigma...
Irreversible environmental harm, nonsensical urban planning and accusations of corruption After a mere thirty-day public consultation period, the Ontario government has officially decided to go ahead with its plan to remove 7,400 acres from the protected Greenbelt. This announcement came just last month, ten days after the public consultations on the initial proposal had closed. The government...
With the House of Representatives returned to the hands of the Republicans, almost two dozen GOP governors have imposed the long overdue ban on TikTok over the past five weeks, ranging from restricting government employees’ access to the application to removing it altogether from government internet networks. While the majority of the left-wing Democrats are still living in their illusory vision...
In 2016, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) was legalized in Canada. This allowed for doctors and nurse practitioners to use medication to cause a person’s death at their request. When the bill was first introduced, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the Liberal government was focused on, “respecting Canadians rights, defending their choices…while at the same time, protecting the most...
Should the money be going elsewhere? Now that the municipal elections are over, one of the main issues to be addressed is what to do regarding the huge $857 million deficit in Toronto. While a lot of the deficit can be attributed to the COVID-pandemic costs, it is important to think about how the mayor will attempt to balance the budget. Will they increase taxes? Will they cut services? Perhaps...
Over 50,000 people marched in London, England to campaign for climate change ahead of COP21 in Paris, France (Photograph: Matthew Kirby) Loss and damage breakthrough at COP27 As the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) comes to a close, the same question is again at the forefront of climate talks, but the answer may be different: Who will pay for the impacts of climate change? Well...