Skip to content

The Decriminalization of Prostitution in Ontario: Perspectives on Bedford v. Canada

In the recent landmark case Bedford v. Canada, Justice Himmel of the Ontario Superior Court held that three provisions of the Criminal Code that criminalize facets of prostitution—living on the avails of prostitution, keeping a common bawdy house and communicating in a public place for the purpose of engaging in prostitution—infringe the core values protected ... Read More

Symposium: The Role of Interveners in Public Interest Litigation

Friday, November 6th, 2010 Sign in and Registration: 8:30 a.m. Public interest litigation can have a significant impact on public policy in Canada. Although Charter and other public interest litigation is most often commenced by individual claimants who are challenging laws that affect them individually, the test case litigant is often supported or opposed by ... Read More

Symposium on U.N. Security Council Resolution 1267

The Asper Centre with the International Human Rights Program and Canadian Civil Liberties Association present Symposium on the Impact of Targeted Anti-terrorist Sanctions on Charter and International Human Rights Program: 9:00 a.m. Welcome: Renu Mandhane, International Human Rights Program Key Note Speaker: Judge Kimberly Prost, UN Ombudsperson for Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions 9:45 – ... Read More

Reference Re Assisted Human Reproduction Act

Implications of the Supreme Court’s Decision November 4-5, 2011 Bennett Lecture Hall Faculty of Law University of Toronto 78 Queen’s Park Cres, Toronto, ON The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in the Reference re. the Assisted Human Reproduction Act this past spring, striking down some sections and leaving others intact on constitutional grounds. ... Read More

Working Group Call for Proposals

The Asper Centre working groups aim to provide U of T students with an opportunity to conduct legal research and assist in advocacy on Canadian constitutional rights issues (often in partnership with an external organization). The Asper Centre requires all potential working groups (including existing working groups) to submit a written proposal for consideration by ... Read More

Social Science Evidence in Charter Litigation

Developments in Thirty Years of Fact Finding What have we learned? What could we do better? Event date: Friday, November 09, 2012, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Location: Flavelle House, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto Opening Plenary Panel: The Challenges for Judges Justice Robert Sharpe (Ontario Court of Appeal); Justice Susan Himel (Ontario ... Read More

Constitutional Remedies: Are They Effective and Meaningful?

REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED LINK TO LIVE WEBCAST Keynote Address For more information contact Kara Norrington at kara.norrington@utoronto.ca The David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights is hosting a conference examining in detail the remedies available in constitutional litigation. Papers and panel discussions will stimulate and develop an ongoing dialogue on the effectiveness of remedies. The goal ... Read More

The Case Against 8 – Special Screening

Battles Are Won Because They Are Fought! The Case Against 8 is a behind-the-scenes look inside the historic case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. The high-profile trial first makes headlines with the unlikely pairing of Ted Olson and David Boies, political foes who last faced off as opposing attorneys in Bush v Gore. ... Read More

R v Kokopenace: The Panel

The Aboriginal Law Program Speaker Series and the Constitutional Roundtable present: “R v Kokopenace: The Panel” Heard before the Supreme Court on October 6, 2014, R v Kokopenace is a case concerning the representativeness of jury panels in Ontario, particularly with respect to First Nations people living on-reserve and the role of s. 6(8) of ... Read More

Autonomy, Subsidiarity and Solidarity: The Foundations of Cooperative Federalism

CONSTITUTIONAL ROUNDTABLE presents Hugo Cyr, Université du Québec à Montréal Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Solarium (room FA2), Falconer Hall 84 Queen’s Park What does the constitutional principle of federalism entail? Instead of a detailed set of specific rules, the principle of federalism relies on a series of principles that distinguish federations from other political forms. ... Read More

Life, Liberty and Equality – Canadian-Style: The Interplay Between Sections 7 and 15 of the Charter

This half-day conference examined in detail the interplay between sections 7 and 15 of the Charter. Papers were presented that stimulated and developed an ongoing exploration of the relationship between sections 7 and 15. Issues addressed include: • Is equality a principle of fundamental justice under section 7? • How have the courts treated the ... Read More

Book Launch – False Security by Prof Kent Roach and Craig Forcese

All are welcome to attend the book launch for False Security: The Radicalization of Canadian Anti-Terrorism , the latest book by Professor Kent Roach from the University of Toronto - Faculty of Law and co-author Professor Craig Forcese, from the University of Ottawa - Faculty of Law. The book launch will be followed by a ... Read More

The State of Canada’s Constitutional Democracy

SYMPOSIUM February 26 - 27, 2016 Faculty of Law, University of Toronto (Room: Solarium, FA2) The David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, University of Toronto and the Centre for Constitutional Studies, University of Alberta, co-organized this symposium examining the state of Canada’s constitutional democracy. Dramatic changes have taken place in recent years at the national ... Read More

Clinical Legal Education Conference

THE RISKS AND REWARDS OF CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES The Asper Centre is collaborating with the Association for Canadian Clinical Education and the International Journal of Clinical Legal Education in the organization and hosting of the 2016 Clinical Legal Education Conference at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. Dates: July 10- 13, 2016 Registration ... Read More

Working Group Call for Proposals

2016-2017 WORKING GROUPS University of Toronto, Faculty of Law students wishing to propose a 2016/2017 Working Group must email a proposal to Cheryl Milne, cheryl.milne@utoronto.ca by 5 p.m. on August 15, 2016. Applications should include the following: a) The name/title of the Working Group b) The issue the group will be working on, and why ... Read More

Constitutional Roundtable – Hugo Cyr

Hugo Cyr Dean and Professor of Public Law and Legal Theory Université du Québec à Montréal Normalizing the Exception in Canada Thursday, February 9, 2017 12:30 – 2:00 Room J-140, Jackman Law Building 78 Queen's Park Extraordinary measures may sometimes be justified as being necessary to deal with exceptional events. Those measures may become normalized ... Read More

Dr. Anver Emon Special Lecture

What’s the fuss about “Islam” and “Muslims” ?  Thinking in an Age of Information Overload Special Lecture by Dr. Anver Emon Professor and Canada Research Chair in Religion, Pluralism, and the Rule of Law University of Toronto Faculty of Law Moderated by Cheryl Milne, Executive Director Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights From the Brexit referendum ... Read More

Asper Centre Presents: Careers in Constitutional Law

The Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights presents a lunchtime seminar on Careers in Constitutional Law Are you a JD Candidate with a passion for promoting Charter rights? Do you want to learn about the numerous career paths that exist for students wishing to practice Constitutional Law? MEET and get ADVICE from four lawyers (3 are UTLaw ... Read More

Clinical Course Application Deadline

Deadline for U of T Upper Year Law students to apply for the Asper Centre clinical courses for 2017. For more information, see the course list on the Faculty of Law website HERE.

Application Deadline for Asper Centre Work-Study student

The Asper Centre is looking for a student to provide research and technical support for the Centre’s website and social media (Facebook and Twitter). The position involves some research and drafting for content to be uploaded to the Centre's website related to Canadian constitutional law and the activities of the Centre (primarily case summaries). Training ... Read More