Law Commons^™

Into The Future: Civil Justice Reform In Canada, 1996 To 2006 And Beyond, Margaret A. Shone

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

The two-part Conference Into the Future: The Agenda for Civil Justice Reform is sponsored by the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (the Forum), the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) the Association of Canadian Court Administrators (ACCA), and the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ). Part 1 of the Conference was held in in Montreal from April 30 to May 2, 2006. Part 2 of the Conference will be held in Toronto from December 7 to 8, 2006.

Balancing The Scales: Understanding Aboriginal Perspectives On Civil Justice, Mary Stratton

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

As we visited each of the Civil Justice System and the Public research locations in Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario Quebec, Nunavut and British Columbia we contacted local Aboriginal organizations. We talked with Band Councils, Native Friendship Centres, Aboriginal legal aid programs, Native court workers, Aboriginal child welfare agencies and individuals involved in court cases. About 30 Aboriginal people took part in our key contact meetings and interviews that were transcribed and analysed to provide the first draft of this report. Some were members of a First Nation, some were Métis and others were Inuit. They lived on and off Reserves, …

Statement Of Principles On Self-Represented Litigants And Accused Persons, Canadian Judicial Council

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

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A Tenacious Fidelity To The Law, Susan G. Drummond

Editorials and Commentaries

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Headlines: The Role Of Print Media In Public Understanding Of The Civil Justice System, Diana Lowe, Naomi Schmold, Mary Stratton

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

Various forms of mass media are generally considered to be significant sources of all kinds of public information. Discussions concerning public understanding of and access to the justice system frequently contend that print and broadcast media play a particularly important role in formulating public understanding and opinion of Canadian courts. In the first part of this paper we discuss perceptions about the role of print media in reporting on civil justice issues from the perspectives of the justice community, the media, and the public. We recognise, however, that there is little research about the quantity or quality of media coverage …

Personal Reflections On Adr Reforms, David D. Tavender

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

In our August 1996 Task Force on Systems of Civil Justice report to the Canadian Bar Association one of our primary recommendations was to encourage early and continuing non-binding dispute resolution to assist in achieving settlements as early as possible in the litigation process. The report stated at page 32, "The Task Force is persuaded that a focus on early consensual resolution of disputes holds the greatest promise for reducing costs and delays" and, as we made clear in our first recommendation, we wanted every jurisdiction to make available "opportunities for litigants to use non-binding dispute resolutions processes as early …

Adr And The Public Interest, Lorne Sossin

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

ADR’s benefits are well-known and oft-cited. ADR can reduce the cost of dispute resolution for the parties and the public purse. It leads to more harmonious relations and more varied and responsive settlements than the adversarial, winner-take-all premise of civil litigation. It has added attractions for the parties of confidentiality, flexible procedure, choice of decision-maker, focus on finding workable solutions to problems and fixed timelines for hearings and decisions. As a result of these benefits, it is not difficult to account for the dramatic rise of ADR providers.

Civil Justice System And The Public: Learning From Experiences To Find Practices That Work, Barbara Billingsley, Diana Lowe, Mary Stratton

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the Civil Justice System & the Public research project (the “CJSP”) undertaken by the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice and several research partners from 2001 to 2006. The CJSP was an ambitious and complex project, spanning several years and involving a multi-tracked, multi-party evaluation of communication practices in the already complex arena of Canada’s civil justice system. Designed as collaborative action research, this was not a static project: over the course of five years, the project objectives and research processes continuously evolved as the research produced new and better …

Patient Safety, Medical Error And Tort Law: An International Comparison, Joan M. Gilmour

Commissioned Reports, Studies and Public Policy Documents

No abstract provided.

Social, Economic And Health Problems Associated With A Lack Of Access To The Courts, Mary Stratton, Travis Anderson

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

The purpose of this report is to further understanding about the social consequences arising from both unresolved legal problems and the process of attempting to resolve such problems through the courts. Previous research has shown that a significant portion of the population, in Canada and internationally, regularly experience problems that are both difficult to resolve and have legal implications. Furthermore, it is suggested that socially disadvantaged groups are more likely to experience serious problems, and less likely to successfully resolve them.

Into The Future: Confirming Our Common Vision, Canadian Forum On Civil Justice

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

Following Part I of the Into the Future conference in May of this year it was clear that the findings of the 1996 Systems of Civil Justice Task Force Report have been widely accepted, and that many of the recommendations made in that report have been implemented by various Canadian jurisdictions. It was equally clear however that the fundamental problems described in the Report - cost, delay and complexity inhibiting access to justice - have not been resolved, and they remain for virtually all jurisdictions, serious and pressing concerns. This document is written in anticipation of Part II of the …

Fairness At Work: Federal Labour Standards For The 21st Century, H. W. Arthurs

Commissioned Reports, Studies and Public Policy Documents

On October 30, 2006 Commissioner Harry Arthurs delivered his report Fairness at Work: Federal Labour Standards for the 21st Century to the Minister of Labour, the Hon. Jean-Pierre Blackburn.

Rethinking Enforcement And Litigation In Ontario Securities Regulation, Mary Condon

Articles & Book Chapters

The Ontario government has recently made changes to provincial securities law that are aimed at more effective enforcement. For example, statutory civil remedies are now available to investors in actions involving misrepresentation or inadequate disclosure in the secondary market. A broader range of sanctioning options has also been made available to the Ontario Securities Commission.

The author explores the factors contributing to these developments, identifies recent controversies surrounding the Commission's enforcement activities, and evaluates the effectiveness of different approaches to enforcement. The author reviews policy issues surrounding enforcement through public, criminal and quasi-criminal sanctions, as well as civil remedies, and …

Pension Power: Unions, Pension Funds, And Social Investment In Canada, Jinyan Li

Articles & Book Chapters

This is a review of the book Pension Power: Unions, Pension Funds, and Social Investment in Canada.

Review Of The New Ontario Limitations Regime: Exposition And Analysis, Lorne Sossin

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Law As A Social System, By Niklas Luhmann, Peer Zumbansen

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

A Team Production Theory Of Canadian Corporate Law, Stephanie Ben-Ishai

Articles & Book Chapters

The article applies the Team Production Theory developed by American corporate law scholars, Margaret Blair and Lynn Stout, to argue that Canadian corporate law's understanding of public corporations that are not controlled by a single shareholder or group of shareholders reflects a director primacy norm rather than a shareholder primacy norm. Canadian corporate law provides that directors of such public corporations with widely-held share ownership and voting rights are free from direct control by any corporate stakeholders. A potential departing point for Canadian corporate law, the oppression remedy, continues to develop to deal with extra-legal advantages rooted primarily in unequal …

The Metamorphosis Of Aboriginal Title, Brian Slattery

Articles & Book Chapters

Aboriginal title has undergone a significant transformation from the colonial era to the present day. In colonial times, aboriginal title was governed by Principles of Recognition based on ancient relations between the Crown and Indigenous American peoples. With the passage of time, this historical right has evolved into a generative right, governed by Principles of Reconciliation. As a generative right, aboriginal title exists in a dynamic but latent form, which is capable of partial articulation by the courts but whose full implementation requires agreement between the Indigenous party and the Crown. The courts have the power to recognize the core …

Re-Framing The Sharia Arbitration Debate, Trevor C. W. Farrow

Articles & Book Chapters

This article is a response to Mr. McGuinty regarding his response to religious arbitration in the province of Ontario. First, the issue is not about simply prohibiting religious tribunals. Second, it is not only an Ontario issue. Third, it is not necessarily even a Sharia (or religion) issue. This article focuses on these three problems.

Poverty, Agency And Resistance In The Future Of International Law: An African Perspective, Obiora Chinedu Okafor

Articles & Book Chapters

This article enquires into the likely posture of future international law with respect to African peoples. It does so by focusing on three of the most important issues that have defined, and are likely to continue to define, international law’s engagement with Africans. These are: the grinding poverty in which most Africans live, the question of agency in their historical search for dignity, and the extent to which these African peoples can effectively resist externally imposed frameworks and measures that have negative effects on their social, economic and political experience. International law’s future posture in these respects is considered through …

Of Takeovers, Foreign Investment And Human Rights: Unpacking The Noranda-Minmetals Conundrum, Aaron A. Dhir

Articles & Book Chapters

In September 2004 Toronto-based Noranda Inc., one of the world's largest producers of nickel and copper, and China Minmetals Corp., a state-owned Chinese company, announced exclusive talks regarding a potential 100 percent buy-out of Noranda. The proposed friendly takeover was expected to be valued at approximately $7.4 billion USD. The dynamic shifted, however, in mid-November when Noranda announced that the exclusivity period for negotiations had expired and would not be renewed. In early March 2005 Noranda expressed frustration at the continuing lengthy process, which was depressing its share value. At the time, Noranda owned 59 percent of leading Canadian nickel …

Regulating Inheritable Genetic Modification Or Policing The Fertile Imagination?: A Feminist Response, Roxanne Mykitiuk, Isabel Karpin

Articles & Book Chapters

The past few years have seen an explosion of legislative activity around developments in genetics and assisted reproduction. In this chapter we examine recently passed legislation in Australia and Canada in the area of genetic modification technologies and reproductive genetics. We demonstrate that legislative control in this area has a twofold purpose. Less controversially it is aimed at providing limits to scientific innovation for the purpose of ensuring safe and ethical research and experimentation. More controversially it is concerned with what should be the proper "nature of reproduction' namely, how it happens (sexually), between whom (a man and a woman, …

Connecting Economy, Gender, And Citizenship, Mary G. Condon, Lisa C. Philipps

Articles & Book Chapters

This chapter explores emerging discourses of economic citizenship and con- siders how they might illuminate developments in taxation and securities law and policy. In previous work, we have discussed how different fields of business and commercial law help to construct and regulate a gendered and classed economic order (Condon 2000, 2001, 2002; Philipps 1996, 2002, 2003). Here we draw upon theories of citizenship as a possible source of new insights about the formation and governance of an increasingly market- oriented social order and law’s role in that process. First, we focus on the significant theoretical challenges posed by emergent notions …

Book Review: Living In A Contaminated World: Community Structures, Environmental Risks And Decision Frameworks, Dayna Scott

Articles & Book Chapters

This is a book review of Living in a Contaminated World: Community Structures, Environmental Risks and Decision Frameworks. Ed. Ellen Omohundro. Surrey, United Kingdom: Ashgate, 2004.

Emotions And The Veil Of Voluntarism: The Loss Of Judgment In Canadian Criminal Defences, Benjamin Berger

Articles & Book Chapters

In this perspective piece, the author attacks the notion of "moral involuntariness" in the Supreme Court of Canada's judgment in R. v. Ruzic. He asserts that the voluntarist account of criminal liability is purely descriptive. Through the embrace of a mechanistic understanding of human agency, it forestalls judgment and veils the normative foundation of criminal law. The author asserts the need for a more normative approach, one which seeks to evaluate the moral blameworthiness of an act. In the case of duress, the author suggests that it is not enough to simply state that a person's will is constrained because …

Privatizing Our Public Civil Justice System, Trevor C. W. Farrow

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Legitimating Global Trade Governance: Constitutional And Legal Pluralist Approaches, Ruth Buchanan

Articles & Book Chapters

This article will take up the conversation about legal pluralism in the context of debates over transnational governance, where legal pluralism has of late attracted considerable attention. Legal pluralism has its roots in legal sociology and anthropology, and particularly in the study of the co-existence of non-state, customary law or community norms with formal law. In the transnational context, this original focus is expanded to include the coexistence, within a particular territory, of multiple normative regimes, local, national and international. What is important to note, however, is that in this shift the conceptual orientation of the term remains the same: …

Who Are "Clients"? (And Why It Matters), Allan C. Hutchinson

Articles & Book Chapters

Although the lawyer-client relationship is fundamental to the lawyer’s ethical and legal role, there has been little close attention paid to defining exactly who “clients” are. This article explores the shifting and multi-dimensional nature of the lawyer-client relationship. Consistent with the aspirational and pragmatic function of law and practice that underlies legal ethics and professional responsibility, the article argues there is no ideal taxonomy for categorizing “clients” and the obligations owed them. The identity of a client is neither fast nor fixed, and lawyers are subject to a spectrum of differing ethical duties and legal obligations that can vary in …

The Civilised Self And The Barbaric Other: Imperial Delusions Of Order And The Challenges Of Human Security, Ikechi Mgbeoji

Articles & Book Chapters

In the aftermath of the military conflicts of 1936 - 45, there seemed to be a global renunciation of war as an instrument of state policy. Shortly thereafter, however, decades of ideological attrition between the major powers and the inherent perversion of postcolonial states reduced the solemn declarations of 1945 to ineffectual rhetoric. Underpinning the decline and demise of a human-centred approach to global peace and security is the enduring notion of the civilised self and the barbaric other. The polarisation of humanity between camps of the savage and the civilised has continued to animate international policy making despite denials. …