Podcast

Starting in Volume 57, the McGill Law Journal became the first Canadian law journal to launch a major podcast series. In the years since, our podcasts have provided a forum for debate and discussion on many of the most pressing issues in Canadian law, from the structure of Canadian federalism, to emerging norms such as the legal personality of the environment. Each episode features interviews with prominent academics, practitioners, or other experts. Many of our featured guests have been directly involved in debates and decisions that continue to shape the law in Canada and around the world.

Volume 68 revamped the Journal‘s podcast with the launch of three thematic series:

  • MLJ Shorts: This series brings you timely, bite-sized analyses of Canadian law and policy. In each episode, the host invites a leading expert to unpack recent legal developments or court decisions, to better understand their implications and long-term significance.
  • Counterpoint: An MLJ Podcast series that places legal academics and practitioners in conversation with individuals, communities, and advocates with experience of the law in its application. As a forum for exchange and debate on issues of legal importance in Canada and beyond, the show stands out for its commitment to hearing new voices in legal discourse and spotlighting alternative sources of legal knowledge and expertise.
  • Legal Fictions: A series tracking developments in the legal profession. Made for and by law students, it aims to demystify the practice of law, delve into its history and regulation, and reimagine its future.

Music provided by SOCAN.

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Our episodes
Posted on 8 Aug 2023

[Legal Fictions] Carrières alternatives avec un diplôme en droit / Alternative Careers with a Law Degree

In this this two-part epsiode, we hear from McGill Law graduates whose unconventional careers challenge the typical image of what it means to be a lawyer or have a law degree. Our guests for part two are Aaron Wenner and Geeva Samynathan, both law graduates who decided to pursue entrepreneurial careers.

Aaron is co-founder and CEO of CiteRight, a Toronto-based legal-tech start-up that helps coordinate legal research and drafting. Geeva runs a consultancy company, ECTAA, that provides guidance in management, environmental consulting, and corporate training.

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Posted on 25 Jul 2023

[MLJ Shorts] L’avenir du fédéralisme à l’heure du renouveau de relations canado-autochtones

Huit ans après la publication du rapport final de la Commission de vérité et de réconciliation du Canada, cet épisode se penche sur les voies possibles des interactions entre les peuples autochtones et l’État canadien. Nous nous entretenons avec Jean Leclair, professeur de droit à l’Université de Montréal spécialiste du fédéralisme et du pluralisme juridique, pour mieux comprendre le concept de justice transitionnelle dans le contexte canadien.

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Posted on 17 Jul 2023

[Legal Fictions] Carrières alternatives avec un diplôme en droit / Alternative Careers with a Law Degree

There are many paths to law school, and just as many out of it. In this two-part episode, we hear from McGill Law graduates whose unconventional careers challenge the typical image of what it means to be a lawyer or have a law degree. Our guests for part one are Alba Stella Zuniga Ramos and Hanson Hossein, who now work in municipal politics and journalism, respectively.

This episode is the first in the MLJ Podcast’s Legal Fictions series. Made for and by law students, Legal Fictions traces developments in the legal profession, aiming to demystify the practice of law, delve into the history of its regulation, and reimagine its future.

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Posted on 5 Jul 2023

[MLJ Shorts] Digital Media Wild West: Regulating Canadian Content

Bill C-11, commonly known as the Online Streaming Act, has been riddled with controversy from its introduction in June of last year, through to its adoption as law in April 2023. Canada’s first major reform of the Broadcasting Act since 1991, the Act aims to promote Canadian content on online streaming services, in part by extending the regulatory powers of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). In this episode, we hear from Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law, on why the Act falls flat, and how it misunderstands the nature of on-demand streaming services.

This conversation was recorded in January 2023, while Bill C-11 was in its third reading before the Senate.

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Posted on 27 Jun 2023

[Counterpoint] Solitary Confinement in Canada

This episode explores the practice of solitary confinement in Canada and the winding road toward its abolition. Our two guests, Andrea Monteiro (former Director of Corrections for the Yukon Government and founder of Ethical Correctional Consulting, Inc.) and Nora Demnati (a Montreal-based prison lawyer and instructor at McGill’s Faculty of Law) bring their differing experiences and perspectives to bear on the question of prison reform. Our discussion centres around the history and evolution of solitary confinement, why its elimination has proved difficult, and the challenges of piecemeal versus system-wide change.

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Posted on 30 May 2023

[Counterpoint] Venir au Canada en temps de crise : délais, difficultés, et défis

Comment le système canadien d’immigration et de protection des réfugiés réagit-il aux conflits qui provoquent un afflux de migrants ? En utilisant la guerre en Ukraine comme étude de cas, nous discutons du programme de résidents temporaires protégés et de ses lacunes, en considérant surtout les conséquences au niveau de l’intégration communautaire.

Cet épisode est le premier de notre série Counterpoint, qui met en conversation des praticiens du droit avec des travailleurs communautaires ayant l’expérience du droit dans son application. Nos invités sont le professeur François Crépeau, titulaire de la Chaire Hans et Tamar Oppenheimer en droit international public et M. Kinan Swaid, directeur des opérations au Centre des réfugiés à Montréal et responsable du département orientation et académique du Centre.

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Posted on 2 May 2023

[MLJ Shorts] Réformer la famille au Québec, partie 1 : Aperçu du projet de loi 2

Dans le premier volet de cet épisode en deux parties, Dominique Goubau, professeur de droit à l’Université Laval, examine les principaux changements apportés par le projet de loi 2 – devenu loi en juin 2022 – sur le droit de la famille au Québec.

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Posted on 6 Apr 2023

[MLJ Shorts] The Emergencies Act: Past, Present, and Future

In February 2022, the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act in response to a series of protests and blockades across Canada. We speak with Professor David Schneiderman about the historic use of emergency powers in Canada, the development of the Act, and the implications of its invocation.

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Posted on 21 Mar 2023

[MLJ Shorts] Le prélèvement forcé d’organes : un sujet d’actualité

Notre premier épisode de la série MLJ Shorts analyse une nouvelle loi fédérale ayant pour objectif de combattre le trafic d’organes. Garnett Genuis, le député qui a parrainé le projet de loi S-223 à la Chambre des communes, nous explique pourquoi il a été introduit et quel rôle il pourrait jouer dans la lutte contre les violations des droits de l’homme au-delà des frontières du Canada.

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Posted on 4 Aug 2022

A Tale of One City: Toronto's Battle for Electoral Independence

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 speak with Nathalie Des Rossiers, Principal of Massey College, who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario when the events transpired.

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