The law of street protest in Canada
The events of the G20 weekend in Toronto raised important legal issues and exposed gaps in our law. Are street protests legal and when can the police break them up? Can the police have special…
Legal Reform
Copyright reform in Canada: Op-Ed
Industry Minister Tony Clement knows only one way to write copyright laws for the country: heavyhandedly … Read the entire June 11th commentary at the Vancouver Sun
Pavlov’s Law and the Criminal Justice System
From my experiences dealing with the different participants in the justice system (accused, victims, witnesses, court personnel, etc) and listening to the public’s opinion, I feel confident in saying that most people are frustrated with…
Restraint, Mr. Harper
While cramming a treatise for my last 1L exam, I came across a quote from the Law Reform Commission of Canada. The report titled Our Criminal Law was released in 1976, but it is just…
Bilingualism and the Supreme Court
As reported by the Globe and Mail, a bill requiring that all future Supreme Court justices be bilingual was passed last week and now awaits Senate approval. The private member’s Bill C-232, tabled by NDP…
Government Ignores “Tough on Crime” Statistics
A great article just came off the Canadian Press wire. The upshot is that the Canadian government is ignoring the results of social science studies about crime and punishment. Here are some quoteable quotes: Federal…
OPP Officer Murdered, Tragic Irony…
First and foremost, R.I.P. Unfortunately, as the reports circle around the internet, PC Vu Pham, 37, has succumb from his injuries he received in a shooting this morning. Â Pham leaves behind a wife and three…
IRB Under Review
Nicholas Keung of the Toronto Star says, The issue of state protection has become more contentious following a string of recent federal court challenges – involving refugee claimants from Turkey, Kenya, Mexico, St. Vincent and,…
How lawyers think
We as a society know too little about lawyers. We believe some myths about lawyers (for example, that they are rich), but we know little truth about them. It’s pretty strange given the two critical…
17 Ridiculous American Laws
As a sequel to Law is Stupid Too, we present 17 ridiculous laws still on the book, via Huffington Post: In Missouri, It is Illegal To Drive With An Uncaged Bear (Caged Bears Are OK)…
Speaking of getting “tough on crimeâ€, how about “hateâ€?
When a local Georgian Township man, Trevor Middleton, was convicted of assault and criminal negligence in December, 2009, friends and family of the victims were hopeful that justice was served. During the case, the jury…
Parliament Set to Fight over Crime
Before Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament, before he made sure to be televised hobnobbing with athletes at every possible turn at the Olympics, he had filled the Lower House with a slate of crime bills, which…