A car means less freedom
An old cliché says that a car gives freedom. But if freedom means the absence of state intrusion in our personal choices, then that cliché is plain wrong. Drivers are less free than pedestrians or…
Pulat Yunusov
Canadians, beware of Arizona Senate Bill 1070
How far can a government go to fight illegal migration? One government is flying right into uncharted  territory if we are to judge by public reaction and media commentary. Arizona’s legislature is considering a bill…
How to secede from Ontario
So what if Toronto became a province? Why would that be a bad idea? Regardless of the arguments for and against, Toronto can never become a province unless there is a lawful way to that…
Discretion, law, and Rahim Jaffer
When the Crown dropped drunk driving and cocaine charges against Rahim Jaffer, everyone seemed unhappy and suspicious. There was a lot more unity of opinion than when a Canadian woman was stuck in Africa because…
On grandmothers and stunt driving
Sometimes a court case comes along that I simply love. Usually I love a case because it teaches me something about law, or because it is uniquely Canadian, or because it’s worth blogging about. This…
How to avoid committing sexual assault
There are man crimes. Take sexual assault, for example. I don’t have the stats but I will be really surprised if most people convicted of sexual assault weren’t men. For example, the Criminal Code has…
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…
Are there inalienable rights in Canada?
Pulat Yunusov We in Canada like to think of ourselves as free. We also like to think we have rights. The police can’t throw us in jail for our political views. And if they do…
Immigration and foreign credentials
The federal government announced a plan to help immigrants get their foreign credentials recognized. At the heart of this plan is a deal between Ottawa and the provinces to speed up professional licensing applications filed…
Pain or death: euthanasia again
Usually, the police raids crack houses and gang hideouts in Toronto. Last Thursday, November 26, 2009, officers descended on the Toronto Humane Society, a 118-year-old charity sheltering abandoned cats and dogs. Some of the most…
War and the Law of Nations—book review
Issue 47:2 of Osgoode Hall Law Journal has just been published. It includes my review [pdf]Â of Stephen C. Neff’s War and the Law of Nations: A General History.
Uttering threats
Disclaimer: The text below contains only my understanding of the applicable law. It has nothing whatsoever to do with your particular situation. Do not assume you can make any decisions based on this text. I…