Law Commons^™

Diversity, Transparency & Inclusion In Canada’S Judiciary, Samreen Beg, Lorne Sossin

Articles & Book Chapters

The purpose of this paper is to provide a high level overview of some of the issues and stumbling blocks Canada has encountered in building a diverse judiciary. Part 1 of the paper begins by providing a brief overview of the heterogeneous makeup of Canadian society against the homogenous makeup of the judiciary. This will provide a helpful backdrop from which to explore conceptual questions related to the question of why a diverse judiciary matters. Part 2 examines some of the historical questions and milestones in the judiciary related to diversity. Part 3 summarizes the judicial appointments processes and takes …

La “Marca Canadiense”: La Violencia Y Las Compañías Mineras Canadienses En América Latina, Shin Imai, Leah Gardner, Sarah Weinberger

All Papers

Este informe, elaborado por el Proyecto Justicia y Responsabilidad Corporativa (JCAP, por sus siglas en inglés), es el primero que expone formas específicas de violencia y criminalización asociadas con los proyectos mineros canadienses en América Latina durante un período de quince años. La exposición de cada incidente se complementa con oportunas notas al pie, y todos los vínculos web mencionados se preservan con el uso del servicio Perma.cc de la Escuela de Derecho de Harvard. El informe critica la ausencia de mecanismos en Canadá para la investigación de cualquier presunta violación de los derechos humanos cometida por las compañías mineras …

The Canada Brand: Violence And Canadian Mining Companies In Latin America, Shin Imai, Leah Gardner, Sarah Weinberger

All Papers

The Canada Brand: Violence and Canadian Mining in Guatemala

This is the first report to profile specific forms of violence and criminalization associated with Canadian mining projects in Latin America over a fifteen-year period. Each incident is carefully footnoted and all web links are preserved using Harvard Law School’s Perma.cc service. The report is critical of the lack of Canadian mechanisms for investigating human rights abuses of Canadian companies operating overseas. It draws on the thinking of former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Ian Binnie and others to argue that the concepts of proximity to violence and complicity of the …

Designing Administrative Justice: Draft, Lorne Sossin

All Papers

This study explores the adaptation of design thinking to administrative justice. Design thinking – or human centred design – approaches services and products from the perspective of the user. This perspective too often is missing in the design of administrative tribunals, most of which have been developed top-down to serve the needs of a particular policy interest of the Government of the day.

This paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, I review the development of design thinking in the context of legal services and legal organizations. In the second part, I explore the implications of this …

Comments On The Eu-Canada Joint Interpretive Declaration On The Ceta, Gus Van Harten

Editorials and Commentaries

Comments are offered on the EU-Canada Joint Interpretive Declaration on the CETA (updated to account for versions of 5 October, 11 October, 13 October, and 22 October 2016). For eight reasons, I argue that the Declaration does very little to alleviate key concerns arising from the CETA's proposed special rights and privileges for foreign investors.

A Study Of The Costs Of Legal Services In Personal Injury Litigation In Ontario: Final Report, Allan C. Hutchinson

Commissioned Reports, Studies and Public Policy Documents

Contingency Fee Agreements (CFAs) are now a fixed feature of the Ontario litigation landscape. However, little research or study has been done on exactly how they operate in practice, whether they advance the objectives that they were intended to achieve, and whether litigants are best served by the current arrangements. In this study, I intend to make a preliminary start to that research, set out some tentative criticisms of the CFA system as it currently operates, and, where appropriate, suggest preliminary proposals for change.

It should be said at the outset that my efforts to obtain real and serious data …

Everyday Legal Problems And The Cost Of Justice In Canada: Infographic, Canadian Forum On Civil Justice

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

N/A

Nudging The Paradigm Shift, Everyday Legal Problems In Canada, Ab Currie

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

The subject of this paper is the everyday legal problems experienced by the public in Canada. This area of study is best understood by distinguishing it from the legal problems that are adjudicated in the courts or resolved by lawyers. The term everyday legal problem1 derives from Hazel Genn’s term, justiciable events.2 A justiciable event is a problem or issue that occurs in the normal life of an individual: for example buying and selling, entering into a contract, gaining and losing employment, forming or dissolving domestic relationships that involve some measure of dependency, managing the medical or financial affairs of …

Improving Employment Standards And Their Enforcement In Ontario: A Research Brief Addressing Options Identified In The Interim Report Of The Changing Workplaces Review, Leah F. Vosko, John Grundy, Eric Tucker, Andrea M. Noack, Alan Hall, Mark P. Thomas, Rebecca Casey, Kiran Mirchandani, Guliz Akkaymak

Commissioned Reports, Studies and Public Policy Documents

The quality of employment available to Ontarians is a growing concern among legislators, policymakers, and the general public alike. There is widespread recognition that precarious employment and the challenges posed by the associated realignment of risks, costs and power relations between employees and employers require improvements to employees’ legislative protection. Ontario’s Changing Workplaces Review (CWR) affords us an opportunity to take stock of important changes taking place the province’s labour market. As the Terms of Reference introduced at the outset of the CWR note, “far too many workers are experiencing greater precariousness” in employment in Ontario today than in the …

The European Union’S Emerging Approach To Isds: A Review Of The Canada-Europe Ceta, Europe-Singapore Fta, And European-Vietnam Fta, Gus Van Harten

Articles & Book Chapters

The European Union’s approach to ISDS is examined based on the available textual evidence in proposed or negotiated trade agreements. The evaluation focuses on three criteria: judicial independence, procedural fairness, and balance in the allocation of rights and responsibilities. Each criteria arises from concerns about the powerful and far-reaching arbitration mechanism at the core of ISDS and its role to decide the legality of sovereign conduct and allocate public funds to foreign investors. The main conclusions are that, in pursuing a massive expansion of ISDS in new trade agreements, the European Union has taken only partial steps on the issue …

A Skeptical Optimist’S Perspective On Canada Getting To Proportional Representation As An Electoral Reform, Craig Scott

Editorials and Commentaries

No abstract provided.

Ethics Of Biological Sampling Research With Aboriginal Communities In Canada, Behdin Nowrouzi, Lorrilee Mcgregor, Alicia Mcdougall, Donna Debassige, Jennifer Casole, Christine Nguyen, Behnam Nowrouzi-Kia, Deborah Mcgregor

Articles & Book Chapters

The objective of this paper is to identify key ethical issues associated with biological sampling in Aboriginal populations in Canada and to recommend approaches that can be taken to address these issues. Our work included the review of notable biological sampling cases and issues. We examined several significant cases (Nuu-chah-nult people of British Columbia, Hagahai peoples of Papua New Guinea and the Havasupai tribe of Arizona) on the inappropriate use of biological samples and secondary research in Aboriginal populations by researchers. Considerations for biological sampling in Aboriginal communities with a focus on community-based participatory research involving Aboriginal communities and partners …

Comment Letter To The Sec In Response To Its Concept Release On Business And Financial Disclosure Required By Regulation S-K, 81 F.R. 23915, Cynthia Williams

Commissioned Reports, Studies and Public Policy Documents

The Center for International Environmental Law, Center of Concern, Environmental Investigation Agency-US, Foundation Earth, Friends of the Earth-United States, Greenpeace USA, Rainforest Action Network, and the Sierra Club welcome the opportunity to comment on the recent Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) concept release on “Business and Financial Disclosure Required by Regulation S-K” (“Concept Release”).1In this Comment Letter, we address five issues:(1) the growth of socially-responsible investment (SRI)(Concept Release questions 15, 17); (2) the definition of materiality (question6); (3) the materiality of sustainability information (questions216-23); and (4) the limits of voluntary disclosure initiatives to meet the information needs of today’s investors, …

Holmes's 'Path Of The Law' As Non-Analytic Jurisprudence, Dan Priel

Articles & Book Chapters

Despite being widely read and the source of numerous oft-cited aphorisms “The Path of the Law” remains elusive. To put the matter starkly: What is its thesis? Does it have one? How can we reconcile its matter-of-factly opening pages and its almost mystical conclusion? For some this was just proof that Holmes was a superficial and contradictory thinker; for others it suggested that “Path” should be read a series of interesting insights and arresting phrases, and nothing more. In this essay I suggest reading Holmes’s famous speech as an essay with a thesis about, well, the path of the law. …

Further Research Update: Paralegals, The Cost Of Justice And Access To Justice: A Case Study Of Residential Tenancy Disputes In Ottawa, David Wiseman

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

A further and final year of data gathered for this case study has reinforced the message that paralegals, who purportedly offer more affordable and accessible legal services than lawyers, are continuing to make a significant contribution to the resolution of residential tenancy disputes in Ottawa, but only for landlords and, largely, for corporate landlords. The reinforcement of this message across a data set now spanning five years of residential tenancy dispute cases for the Eastern Region of the Landlord and Tenant Board of Ontario further solidifies a conclusion that who provides more affordable and accessible legal services can have an …

International Law And American Foreign Policy: Revisiting The Law-Versus-Policy Debate, Hengameh Saberi

Articles & Book Chapters

Confronting significant foreign policy questions, US international lawyers persistently frame their debates as a conflict between law and policy. The article suggests that this opposition, which has defined the US international legal reasoning since World War Two, often leads the debates to a deadlock and constrains the best potential of international law.

Aboriginal Title And Indigenous Governance: Identifying The Holders Of Rights And Authority, Kent Mcneil

All Papers

Aboriginal rights, including Aboriginal title to land, are communal rights that are vested in Indigenous collectivities that are connected to the specific Indigenous groups that occupied and used land prior to European colonization of Canada. Identifying the present-day collectivities that hold these rights is therefore essential. This research paper examines the jurisprudence on this matter in relation to three categories of court decisions: Aboriginal title cases, Aboriginal rights cases apart from title, and duty to consult cases. Analysis of the case law reveals that identification of current rights holders is treated as a matter of fact that depends in part …

Design And Conduct Of The Cost Of Justice Survey, David Northrup, Ab Currie, Trevor C. W. Farrow, Lesley Jacobs, Nicole Aylwin

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

The “Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada” survey (“CoJ survey”) 1 is a national everyday legal problems survey carried out as part of the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice’s Cost of Justice project (CFCJ). 2 The CoJ survey was conducted by the Institute for Social Research (ISR), York University, on behalf of the CFCJ, between September 2013 and May 2014. The 3,051 main study interviews were completed with randomly selected adults from randomly selected households over land line telephones. An additional set of 212 cell phone interviews were also conducted (discussed further below). The interviews averaged …

Everyday Legal Problems And The Cost Of Justice In Canada: Overview Report, Trevor C. W. Farrow, Ab Currie, Nicole Aylwin, Lesley Jacobs, David Northrup, Lisa Moore

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

Law and legal problems are part of everyday life. If you have ever been harassed at work, unfairly fired or evicted, divorced, not received support payments, disputed a will or a cell phone contract, or had your credit rating challenged, you may have already experienced one of these types of everyday legal problems. If so, you are not alone. Almost half (48.4%) of Canadians over 18 will experience at least one civil or family justice problem over any given three-year period. Even though many Canadians do not understand, feel connected to or welcomed by the justice system,2 essentially all of …

Rural And Remote Access To Justice Infographic, Canadian Forum On Civil Justice

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

N/A

The Data Deficit: The Case For Improving Court Records For Future Access To Justice Research – Fact Sheet, Lisa Moore

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

N/A

Everyday Legal Problems And The Cost Of Justice In Canada: Survey, David Northrup, Ab Currie, Trevor C. W. Farrow, Lesley Jacobs, Nicole Aylwin

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

The Cost of Justice project (2011-2017) examines the social and economic costs of Canada’s justice system. It is guided by two questions: What is the cost of delivering access to justice? And what is the cost of not delivering access to justice? Comprised of leading researchers investigating various dimensions of access to justice and cost across the country, the Cost of Justice project is producing empirical data that will inform the future of access to justice in Canada and abroad. The lead research team includes: Trevor C.W. Farrow (Principal Investigator), Nicole Aylwin, Les Jacobs, Lisa Moore, and Diana Lowe.

Canadian Civil Justice: Relief In Small And Simple Matters In An Age Of Efficiency, Jonathan Silver, Trevor C. W. Farrow

Articles & Book Chapters

Canada is in the midst of an access to justice crisis. The rising costs and complexity of legal services in Canada have surpassed the need for these services. This article briefly explores some obstacles to civil justice as well as some of the court-based programmes and initiatives in place across Canada to address this growing access to justice gap. In particular, this article explains the Canadian civil justice system and canvasses the procedures and programmes in place to make the justice system more efficient and improve access to justice in small and simple matters. Although this article does look briefly …

Conceptions Of Authority And The Anglo-American Common Law Divide, Dan Priel

Articles & Book Chapters

This essay seeks to explain the puzzle of the divergence of American law from the rest of the common law world through the lens of legal theory. I argue that there are four competing ideal-type theories of the authority of the common law: reason, practice, custom, and will. The reason view explains the authority of the common law in terms of correspondence to the demands of pure practical reason; the practice view sees the authority of the common law as derived from the expertise of practitioners (especially judges and practice-oriented academics) who try to develop the common law as a …

Virtual Currencies And Blockchains: A Primer, Benjamin Geva

Editorials and Commentaries

With the advent of virtual currencies and blockchain technologies the global payments landscape may be irreversibly transformed. This bulletin is designed to present basic concepts underlying this transformation.

Registered Savings Plans And The Making Of Middle Class Canada: Toward A Performative Theory Of Tax Policy, Lisa Philipps

Articles & Book Chapters

Politicians across Canada’s political spectrum strive to position themselves as defenders of the middle class, and tax policy is a prime vehicle for making this pitch. Any tax reform proposal can be examined critically to evaluate its likely distributional impacts and how well these map onto specific definitions of the middle class. This article attempts, however, a different project. Drawing on the ideas of Judith Butler, it analyzes instead how tax policy produces middle-class identity through the very process of claiming to advance middle-class interests. The case study for this purpose is the rise of tax incentives for saving as …

Developments On Aboriginal Title, Kent Mcneil

All Papers

I would like to thank the organizers of this conference, especially Arif Bulkan and Velma Newton, for inviting me to speak and welcoming me to Belize.

Tom Berger has made my task much easier by presenting the philosophical and legal underpinnings for Indigenous land rights, and providing an introduction to the development of the doctrine of Aboriginal title in Canada.

I am going to try to fill in some of the detail by drawing a composite picture of Indigenous rights in the four common law jurisdictions that I am familiar with, namely Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. …

The Order To Pay Money In Medieval Continental Europe, Benjamin Geva

Articles & Book Chapters

This chapter discusses the evolution of non-cash payment mechanisms in the course of the development of the medieval banking system in Europe. The chapter sets out three categories of a medieval continental financier. The first category, pawnbrokers, consisted of lenders who lent out of their capital primarily for consumption who played no role in the development of the payment system. The second category consisted of moneychangers who accepted deposits and whose practices were rooted in in the manual exchange of coins. The third category consisted of exchange bankers whose practices emerged from the exchange of money in long distance trade. …

Reconsidering Copyright's Constitutionality, Graham Reynolds

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

In 1996, in Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin – Michelin & Cie v. National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada (CAW-Canada) (Michelin), Teitelbaum J. of the Federal Court (Trial Division) held both that specific provisions of the Copyright Act did not infringe the right to freedom of expression as protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) and that, even if they did, these provisions could be justified under s. 1 of the Charter. Since Michelin, these conclusions have been treated by Canadian courts as settled. The purpose of this paper is to challenge these …

Reducing Vulnerability To Human Trafficking: An Experimental Intervention Using Anti-Trafficking Campaigns To Change Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices In Nepal, Margaret Boittin, Dan Archer, Cecilia Hyunjung Mo

Commissioned Reports, Studies and Public Policy Documents

Prepared for USAID, Humanity United, the US Department of Labor, and Terre des Hommes, March 2016.