CONSTITUTIONAL ROUNDTABLE presents  Richard Albert  Professor, Boston College Law School The Most Powerful Court in the World? Constitutional Amendment after the Senate Reform and Supreme Court Act References Discussant: Associate Professor Yasmin Dawood Canada Research Chair in Democracy, Constitutionalism & Electoral Law University of Toronto Wednesday, September 27, 2017 12:30 – 2:00PM Solarium (room FA2), Falconer Hall 84 Queen's Park The Supreme Court of Canada has grown since Confederation from supreme in name alone into the guardian of Canada’s constitutional identity,…

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 will be provided in respect to website; therefore, in-depth knowledge of website development, maintenance and design, although helpful, is not required.  Apply by September 13th 2017…

U of T law students can become involved in the Centre’s work through volunteering with one of our Working Groups. For information on how to apply to lead a Working Group read the Proposal Requirements below. If you would like to apply but need some ideas, contact Cheryl Milne or Tal Schreier by email. This year, in addition to Working Group ideas developed by students, the Asper Centre invites and welcomes proposals from students who would be interested in leading…

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.

Section 7 and the Idea of the Charter

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 graduates) who are currently working in their field of passion: Joseph Cheng—Department of Justice Nader Hasan—Stockwoods Barristers Dan Rohde—Income Security Advocacy Centre Cara Zwibel—Canadian Civil…

The Alberta Press Case

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 in the UK, the election of Donald Trump in the US, and the most recent tragedy at a mosque in Quebec City, it is hard…

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 when the taboo against taking them is broken and their initial justifications are detached from their repeated uses. In this article, I want to highlight…

Judicial Courage and Restraint in Canadian Constitutional History The Morris A. Gross Memorial Lecture was established in memory of the late Morris A. Gross by the law firm Minden Gross LLP and by members of his family, friends and professional associates. The intention of the lectureship is to, every two years, bring to the Faculty of Law a distinguished scholar or a member of the practicing bar or bench for discussion with the student body and Faculty, and to deliver…

Information about how to apply for an Asper Centre summer fellowship to work in an organization within Canada that focuses on constitutional / human rights advocacy.   (October 2016)

The deadline for applications for the is August 26, 2016. Call for Asper Centre students 2016-2017

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 the issue is important c) Name(s) of the student leader(s) and brief background information d) Name and description of partnership organization, and letter of support…

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 open here on the Eventbrite page. Early Bird Registration closes on April 30 (regular price applies after that date). Read the Conference Brochure

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 level in respect to the day to day functioning of our constitutional democracy. These changes impinge on the separation of powers, the rule of law…

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 panel discussion with other esteemed panelists. Panelists include: Ron Atkey P.C., Q.C., first Chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee Joe Fogarty, former UK government…

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 two separate grounds for challenging government action? • Are their strategic advantages to pleading both grounds or only one? • Protecting marginalized groups. • How…

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. I propose that three such principles stand out from within our constitutional instruments and jurisprudence: autonomy, subsidiarity and federal solidarity. The combination of these three…

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 the Juries Act. Issues in this case involve the constitutional right to an impartial jury, the meaning of representativeness, reasonable efforts required by the Crown…

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. The film also follows the plaintiffs, two gay couples who find their families at the centre of the same-sex marriage controversy. Five years in the…

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 is to examine the available remedies pursuant to s.24 and s.52 of the Charter as well as remedies for the violation of Aboriginal and treaty…

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 Superior Court of Justice - Bedford v Canada); Justice Lynn Smith (Supreme Court of British Columbia - Carter v Canada) Workshop topics include: a theory…

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 the Asper Centre Working Groups Selection Committee (“the Committee”). The Committee will select the most competitive proposals to form the Asper Centre Working Groups for…

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. What does this mean for future practice and regulation in this area? What are the regulatory implications for other areas of law that have federal…

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 – 11:00 Litigation Strategies Speakers: Paul Champ – Counsel for Abdelrazik Ben Wizner – Counsel for American Civil Liberties Union     Jeremy McBride - Barrister, Chair…

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 powerful interveners such as governments and advocacy organizations representing groups in society seeking to be heard on the significant human rights issues of the day.…