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Full-Text Articles in Law
Ps V Ontario: Rethinking The Role Of The Charter In Civil Commitment, Isabel Grant, Peter J. Carver
Ps V Ontario: Rethinking The Role Of The Charter In Civil Commitment, Isabel Grant, Peter J. Carver
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
In PS v Ontario, the Ontario Court of Appeal held that section 7 of the Charter requires that persons who are civilly committed for six months or more must have access to meaningful review over the conditions of their detention. In this paper, the authors argue that the decision has broad implications for provincial civil commitment regimes across the country. In particular, the Court’s analogy to the Criminal Code Review Board jurisprudence opens the door to a fuller recognition of the profound deprivation of liberty involved in civil commitments. An expanded role for civil review tribunals may be required, including …
A Legal And Psychological Critique Of The Present Approach To The Assessment Of The Competence Of Child Witnesses, Nicholas Bala, Kang Lee, Rod Lindsay, Victoria Talwar
A Legal And Psychological Critique Of The Present Approach To The Assessment Of The Competence Of Child Witnesses, Nicholas Bala, Kang Lee, Rod Lindsay, Victoria Talwar
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The Canada Evidence Act requires an inquiry to determine whether a child has the requisite moral and intellectual capacity to testify. Caselaw suggests that a child must demonstrate an understanding of abstract concepts like "truth" and "promise" to be competent to testify. This article reports on a survey of Ontario justice system professionals, revealing significant variation in how judges conduct competency inquiries. Children are often asked about religious beliefs and practices, and are frequently asked developmentally inappropriate questions. The authors also report on their experimental research which indicates that children's ability to explain such abstract concepts as "truth," "lie," and …
The Legal Advocate And The Questionably Competent Client In The Context Of A Poverty Law Clinic, Diana A. Romano
The Legal Advocate And The Questionably Competent Client In The Context Of A Poverty Law Clinic, Diana A. Romano
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Advocates representing the poor must, above all, take into account the extreme vulnerability of their clients. This challenge is heightened where one suspects that a client may lack the capacity to provide appropriate instructions. This article considers the issue of how competency should be defined and the options available where incompetency is determined. Ultimately, advocacy must include personal empowerment as well as legal representation.
Withholding And Withdrawing Life Support From Adults At Common Law, Joan M. Gilmour
Withholding And Withdrawing Life Support From Adults At Common Law, Joan M. Gilmour
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This article examines the circumstances in which life support can legally be withheld or withdrawn from adults. It analyzes the situation of patients who are both capable and incapable of making decisions, taking into account recent jurisprudence in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Where competence is not an issue, both law and modern medicine espouse a strong normative commitment to patient self-determination. However, when no clear indication of the patient's treatment preference can be ascertained because of decisional incapacity, then the question of terminating life support is much more difficult. The author describes and analyzes the two …