Third-party litigation funding (TPLF) has become a steadily growing practice in recent years, as more and more parties are bringing lawsuits to court with the financial help of large hedge funds or specialized commercial companies. In this episode, we explore this new judicial practice further by speaking with Professor Jasminka Kalajdzic, director of the Class Action Clinic at Windsor Law School, and Me Neil A. Peden, litigator at Woods LLP, about his upcoming case 9354-9186 Québec inc. v. Callidus Capital Corp. This is the first case dealing with TPLF to be litigated at the Supreme Court of Canada. Since the recording of this episode, Me Peden has won his case, shedding further light on this emerging practice. Ce podcast est bilingue et a été réalisé par Nathaniel Reilly et Victor Vauclair, membres juniors de la RDM. Produit par Talia Huculak, Rédactrice des podcasts de la RDM. 

Facial recognition technology is increasingly being used by law enforcement across Canada. However, law enforcement has not always been transparent about its use. With little to no law currently regulating this technology, privacy advocates insist that Canadians should be concerned. In this episode, we explore these issues by speaking with Ignacio Cofone, assistant professor at the Faculty of Law of McGill University, and Andrea Slane, associate professor at the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities of the Ontario Tech University. This podcast is by Lexi Michaud and Alicia Krausewitz, board members of Volume 65 of the McGill Law Journal. Produced by Talia Huculak, podcast editor of Volume 65 of the McGill Law Journal. 

Should Canadian-born children’s eligibility for government social and health services depend on their parents' immigration status? In this podcast, we explore how current interpretations of the Quebec Health Insurance Act are being used in the province to deny healthcare coverage to some Canadian children on this basis. We will hear from Maître Milton James Fernandez, a lawyer at Pinay, a nonprofit grassroots organization for migrant and Filipino women in Quebec, and Robert Leckey, Dean of McGill’s Faculty of Law. This podcast is produced by Karine Bédard and Tiran Rahimian, board members for Volume 64 of the McGill Law Journal.

L'intelligence artificielle (IA) est présentement au centre d'une profonde transformation technologique. D'aucuns croient également que l'IA façonnera la façon dont nous administrons et dont nous rendons la justice en permettant l'introduction de systèmes décisionnels automatisés dans l'administration publique. Mais cela sera-t-il pour le pire ou pour le mieux, et comment s'assurer que nous introduisions et utilisions cette technologie de façon responsable ?

By signing Bill C-45, Canada became the second country in the world to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. Subsequent news coverage raised concerns about the potentially negative effects of legalization for Canadians, especially those crossing the US-Canadian border. In this podcast, we explore the practical implications of cannabis legalization, examining emerging issues related to workplace safety, privacy, property rights, the constitutional division of powers, and what Canadians can say to border officers if asked about cannabis use. We will hear from Me Joël Dubois, a practicing lawyer at Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP and co-developer of the University of Ottawa’s Cannabis Law course. We will also hear from Mr. Henry Chang, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer and partner at Dentons. This podcast is produced by Talia Huculak and Lauren Weaver, associate editors for Volume 64 of the McGill Law Journal. 

The city of Toronto is currently working with a private company to develop a “smart city”—a neighbourhood that incorporates the collection of big data into its urban design. Since its inception, the project has inspired debate about how data generated by the public/private partnerships ought to be used. In this podcast, we consider the implications of some of these questions, and ask who should own the data and intellectual property generated from projects that rely on both public and private investment. We will hear from Teresa Scassa, Canada Research Chair in information, law and policy at the University of Ottawa, and Natalie Raffoul, an IP lawyer called to the bar in Ontario with a practice that focuses on procurement, licensing, and other IP issues. This podcast is produced by Andrea Salguero and Adam Casey, editors for volume 64 of the McGill Law Journal.

Part one of Causing a Comeau-tion explored an attempt to break down interprovincial trade barriers in Canada through the use of litigation. In part two, we consider the consequences of the case. The Supreme Court ruled that the existing barriers to the sale of alcohol across provincial borders do not violate the constitution. While the case might initially appear to be a straightforward defeat for the litigants, the case could lead to other types of victories that prove it to be an example of successful legal mobilization. We get back in touch with Howard Anglin and Professor Christopher Manfredi, who share their thoughts on the decision and what its ultimate outcomes could be.

This podcast is by Adam Casey, Podcast Editor for volume 64 of the McGill Law Journal.

“Free the Beer!” It’s become a rallying cry across Canada, largely thanks to a legal challenge brought before the Supreme Court in 2017 concerning the transfer of alcohol across provincial borders. In R v Comeau, the Court considered the constitutionality of interprovincial trade barriers on the sale of alcohol following an appeal brought by Gerard Comeau, a man who was fined for transporting alcohol from Quebec to New Brunswick.

In this episode, we examine the struggle to break down interprovincial trade barriers, as well as the institutional and political pressures that make litigation the best (and perhaps the only) way to do it. McGill political science professor Christopher Manfredi tells us about legal mobilization, the process of using litigation to push for a policy goal. We also speak with Howard Anglin, Executive Director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, who explains why the CCF decided to support Mr. Comeau’s case and what they hoped to achieve.

This podcast was created and produced by Adam Casey and Emma Noradounkian, editors for volume 63 of the McGill Law Journal.

La découverte des fosses communes à Sinjar en Iraq et l'ampleur des crimes commis par Daesh contre les minorités religieuses soulèvent d'importantes questions sur la ou les façons dont la justice peut être servie lors d'atrocités de masse telles que commises à l'encontre de la minorité yézidie.

Pour nous entretenir sur le sujet, nous avons eu le privilège de rencontre le Professeur Payam Akhavan et Dr. Barzan Barzani de la Faculté de droit de McGill. Professeure Akhavan a été récemment désigné pour mener l'établissement d'une truth commission pour les yézidies. Dans le cadre de son sujet de recherche pendant son post-doctorat, Dr. Barzani a interrogé des centaines de victimes des crimes commis contre les yézidies.

Ce podcast a été réalisé par Sofia Brault et Tiran Rahimian, rédacteurs juniors de la RDM. Produit par Sofia, Tiran et Emma Noradounkian, Rédactrice des podcasts de la RDM.

Précarité ou flexibilité? Barry Eidlin, Professeur de sociologie à l'université McGill, et Me Marc-Antoine Cloutier, avocat pour RTAM-Métallos, nous aident à mieux comprendre les nouvelles dynamiques du droit de l’emploi dans le contexte de l’économie de partage au travers des activités d’Uber au Québec.

Ce podcast bilingue explore également l’impact des innovations technologiques sur les travailleurs, et les tensions existantes avec des cadres législatifs soi-disants rigides.

L’innovation doit-elle nécessairement se faire au détriment des acquis sociaux et au prix d’entorses aux règles de droit? Comment accomoder les différents acteurs, qu’ils soient innovateurs, consommateurs ou travailleurs?

Ce podcast a été réalisé par Francis Langlois et Alexis Leray, administrateurs juniors de la RDM. Produit par Francis, Alexis et Emma Noradounkian, Rédactrice des podcasts de la RDM.

Should you be able to discriminate in a will? In 2016, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in Spence v BMO that if someone has made a will and their intention is clear, then no one can really challenge that will. At first glance, this sounds reasonable; people should be able to do what they want with their property when they die, but what if their will is being used in a discriminatory way? We spoke to McGill University Professor Angela Campbell and wills and estates practitioner Ian Hull about testamentary freedom and whether courts are willing to balance this concept with protections against discrimination.

In Part II of Legal Personality of the Environment, we meet with Rob Clifford, a PhD student at Osgoode Hall and a member of the Tsawout First Nation, to discuss the concept of legal personality of the environment and its applicability in Canada. We notably discuss the transplantation of this doctrine in Canada, in light of its federal architecture and of the rich diversity of Indigenous legal traditions across the nation.

This two-part podcast is by Raphaël Grenier-Benoit and Boris Kozulin, Executive Editor and Senior Editor for volume 63 of the McGill Law Journal.

Produced by Alexis Hudon and Emma Noradounkian, Podcast Editors for volumes 62 and 63 of the McGill Law Journal.

In Part Two of Clerks! we visit the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa to hear about recent changes to the clerkship recruitment process. Gib van Ert outlines the new process, and we consider how clerkships reflect broader themes at play in our legal culture.

Dans ce deuxième épisode de Clerks!, nous visitons la Cour Suprême du Canada, à Ottawa, pour en apprendre davantage sur les plus récents changements au processus de recrutement des auxiliaires juridiques. Gib van Ert détail le nouveau processus, puis nous considérons comment l’institution des auxiliaires juridiques reflète plus largement des grandes tendances de notre culture juridique.

Music: "Diamond in the Back" by Curtis Mayfield, "Conspiracy," "Anticipation," and "Music of Beauty" by Fesliyan Studios, and introductory and concluding songs by Benjamin Goldman and David Nugent.

This two-part podcast is by Éléna Drouin and Laura Alford, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Coordinating Editor for volume 63 of the McGill Law Journal.

Produced by Alexis Hudon and Emma Noradounkian, Podcast Editors for volumes 62 and 63 of the McGill Law Journal.

Where did Supreme Court Clerkships come from? What do clerks do? Why all the hype?? In this episode, we learn about the history and the role of clerkships at the Supreme Court of Canada from the 1960s to the present. We talk to Professors Shauna Van Praagh, Stephen Smith, and Lionel Smith about clerking at the end of the Dickson era. We then get the judge’s perspective through conversations with Justices Marie Deschamps and Frank Iacobucci. Tune in to episode two to hear about recent changes to the recruitment process, live from the SCC!

Quelle est l’origine du programme des auxiliaires juridiques de la Cour suprême du Canada et pourquoi a-t-il été créé? Que font les clercs? Pourquoi un tel engouement? Dans cet épisode, on se penche sur l’histoire du programme des auxiliaires juridiques, ainsi que leurs fonctions, de 1960s au présent. On discute avec les Professeurs Shauna Van Praagh, Stephen Smith et Lionel Smith de leur expérience de clercs à la fin des années Dickson de la CSC. Puis, on s’entretient avec les Juges Marie Deschamps et Frank Iacobucci pour obtenir leur perspective. Restez à l’affut pour le deuxième épisode afin d’en apprendre davantage sur les changements récents au processus de recrutement, en direct de la Cour suprême du Canada!

Music: "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher, and introductory and concluding songs by Benjamin Goldman and David Nugent.

This two-part podcast is by Éléna Drouin and Laura Alford, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Coordinating Editor for volume 63 of the McGill Law Journal. 

Produced by Alexis Hudon and Emma Noradounkian, Podcast Editors for volumes 62 and 63 of the McGill Law Journal.