In Toronto (City) v. Ontario (Attorney General), the Supreme Court held the Ontario government's decision to reduce the size of Toronto's City Council – during an election – was constitutionally valid. In this episode, we explore the case and its implications on freedom of expression and unwritten constitutional principles. We …
At the international level, malware has become a tool of transnational repression – enabling governments to reach across national borders to silence and surveil dissidents. We speak with Siena Anstis, senior legal advisor at The Citizen Lab, about how digital transnational repression takes place, how it implicates human rights, and …
Selon les statistiques les plus récentes de Statistique Canada, deux grandes entreprises canadiennes sur cinq auraient été victimes d’une cyberattaque. Dans cet épisode, nous explorons les implications légales découlant des logiciels malveillants (“malware”) avec Maître Éloïse Gratton, avocate et associée au cabinet Borden Ladner Gervais. Nous discutons les impacts au …
While proponents of conversion therapy argue that legislative bans infringe on freedoms of expression and religion, its opponents contend that failing to impose a ban would have harmful consequences. Now criminalized at the federal level, we discuss the practice of conversion therapy: its impacts, ideological underpinnings, and the legislative approaches …
Dans cet épisode, nous explorons les droits et obligations respectives des propriétaires et des locataires au Québec. Nous discutons du phénomène des rénovictions, des particularités du Tribunal administratif du logement, ainsi que de certains mécanismes mis en place pour protéger les droits des locataires et de solutions potentielles à la …
Enshrined in the Canadian Constitution since 1982, Canada’s equalization program transfers federal tax revenue to provinces whose fiscal capacity is less than the national average. But since its inception, equalization has been subject to recurring public debate and controversy. In this episode we unpack Alberta’s 2021 equalization referendum with Professor …
Reflecting on 40 years of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we speak with Professor Martha Jackman from the University of Ottawa about the right to health. In particular, we explore how the right has been litigated on section 7 and section 15 grounds to advance protection over social determinants …
In a new and historic constitutional challenge, seven youth plaintiffs allege that the Ontario government's weakening of the province's 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target violates their Charter rights. In this episode, we explore the history of Mathur v Ontario and discuss whether governmental climate plans are reviewable by courts. Our …
The Afghanistan War and its legacy continue to exert a profound influence over Canada’s national security policy. In this episode, we reflect on Canada’s role within the war and the international humanitarian law that governed the conflict. We speak with Retired Maj Gen Blaise Cathcart, Judge Advocate General of the …
Although the reasonable person standard continues to be a useful tool in many areas of the law, it can also reinforce stereotypes of power and privilege. In this episode, we speak with Professor Mayo Moran about what a critical lens reveals about the shortcomings and limitations of the reasonable person …
Regulating online content is a complex issue that platforms and governments alike continue to grapple with. In this episode, we explore the Canadian Government’s Proposed Approach to Address Harmful Content Online and its potential impact on civil liberties. We speak with Me Lex Gill, a public interest lawyer who co-authored …
Le projet de loi n° 96, la loi sur la langue officielle et commune du Québec, le français, a été présenté par le gouvernement de la Coalition Avenir Québec en 2021. Il propose plusieurs mesures pour renforcer et promouvoir la langue française au Québec. Bien que l’Assemblée Nationale du Québec …
Dans cet épisode, nous discuterons du rôle de la responsabilité civile dans la prévention des dommages environnementaux. Afin de nous éclairer sur ce sujet, nous avons invité Maître Michel Bélanger, avocat spécialisé en recours collectifs et en droit de l'environnement.
In 2021, the Ontario Superior Court developed a new tort of online harassment. The tort was fashioned to respond to the outrageous conduct of the defendant, who incessantly posted malicious and defamatory falsehoods about the plaintiffs across various online platforms. But was the creation of a new tort necessary? And …
A recording of the lecture delivered by Professor John Borrows at the McGill Law Journal's 2022 Annual Lecture. The Annual Lecture is a McGill Law Journal tradition that dates back to the 1980s. This year, Professor John Borrows spoke about the role students play in reshaping and growing the law and the legal field by collectively engaging …
Traditionally used to protect trade secrets and proprietary information, non-disclosure agreements are now regularly found in employment contracts and settlement agreements of all kinds. But these agreements can also operate as oppressive contracts of silence – particularly when invoked to prevent victims of discrimination, harassment, or abuse from speaking out …
Introduction For the last several years, financial market elites have generally held two opinions that they have assumed, without much inspection, do not conflict. The first is that the voting results in favour of Brexit and Donald Trump, both enormously unpopular in London and New York respectively, may not reflect careful, …
« Toute indemnité à payer aux Indiens pour les terres destinées à la colonisation sera réglée par le Gouvernement Canadien [...] » (Condition 14 de l’Arrêté impérial de 1870)[1] Introduction Il y aura bientôt quarante-cinq ans, le Parlement du Canada adoptait la Loi sur le règlement des revendications des autochtones de la Baie James et du …
Introduction The de minimis non curat lex maxim provides that the law ought not be concerned with “trifle[s].”[1] The principle has two distinct applications in Canadian law. The first employs the absurdity principle of statutory interpretation to confine the applicable scope of a law.[2] This application prevents a plausible interpretation of …
ARTICLES—AUTHORS ARTICLES — AUTEURS BERTOLINI, DANIELE Unpacking Entire Agreement Clauses: On the (Elusive) Search for Contractually Induced Formalism in Contractual Adjudication.............................................................. 66:465 BRIÈRE-GODBOUT, LÉA ET PLANTE, MARIE-ANDRÉE Religious Challenges to Anti-Discrimination Law: The Mobilization of the “Minority Label”............................................................ 66:377 GERVAIS, MARC-ANTOINE Les impasses théoriques et pratiques du contrôle de constitutionnalité canadien................................................................................... 66:509 HASTIE, BETHANY (Re)Discovering the Promise of Fraser? Labour Pluralism and Freedom of …
I. Doctoral Theses / Thèses de doctorat Angrisani, Roberto. L’action de la Cour de Justice de l’Union européenne pour la protection des droits fondamentaux face à la répression des migrations irrégulières, Université Laval. Atique, Asma. Just Greening the Gulf: Sustaining Justice for Migrant Workers, Osgoode Hall Law School. Bdiwi, Ghuna. Are Calls for …
Introduction Owners can occasionally make “treasure hunters” happy when they leave behind things for which they no longer have any use,[1] but sidewalks lined with household clutter raise eyebrows. When owners walk away from what is theirs, it may not just be annoying, but can also generate substantial harm and elicit …
Introduction « Notre histoire commence au cimetière Saint-Charles, à Québec. Une brume matinale enveloppe une suite incalculable de tombes. Face à nous, le caveau de la famille Rochette : une pierre noire surplombée de quelques fleurs sur laquelle sont gravés les noms des membres de la famille aujourd’hui décédés. S’y trouve le nom …
Introduction In 2011, Gillian Frank was a law-abiding Canadian citizen and former reservist who was born and raised in Ontario, watched Hockey Night in Canada, and listened to CBC Radio.[1] He could not, however, vote in Canadian elections. In fact, when Mr. Frank attempted to register, he was informed that he …
Introduction « Ce pays est pareil à un volcan où bouillonnerait le langage. » Gershom Sholem, Lettre à Franz Rosenzweig, 1926 À l’ouverture des tribunaux judiciaires, le 5 septembre 2019, l’honorable Nicole Duval Hesler, alors juge en chef du Québec, annonçait que la Cour d’appel serait dorénavant dotée d’un service de traduction du français vers l’anglais, dispensé par …
This episode explores how governments are beginning to re-think tax policy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our guests are two Osgoode Hall Law School professors: Jinyan Li, co-academic director of the LLM tax program, and Scott Wilkie, a tax law practitioner and a former chair of the Canadian …
This episode focuses on various elements and models of AI governance and regulation, as well as the related topics of AI agency, liability and algorithmic bias. It features an insightful interview with Me Maroussia Lévesque, whose dissertation focuses on developing a polycentric model of AI governance.
