Unpacking Canadian Surrogacy Law
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
Surrogacy law in Canada has long been a debated topic, whose evolution is tied to moral and ethical issues including reproductive rights, and protection against the commodification of women and children. In this episode, we explore how the law regulates the rights, expectations, and relationships of surrogates and hopeful parents. We also unpack recent reforms that have attempted to clarify this complex area. Our guest is Dr. Stefanie Carsley, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law and member of the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics....
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A Tale of One City: Toronto's Battle for Electoral Independence
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
In Toronto (City) v. Ontario (Attorney General), the Supreme Court held the Ontario government's decision to reduce the size of Toronto's City Council – during an election – was constitutionally valid. In this episode, we explore the case and its implications on freedom of expression and unwritten constitutional principles. We speak with Nathalie Des Rossiers, Principal of Massey College, who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario when the events transpired.
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Cybersecurity and the Law, Part 2: Exploring the Specter of Digital Transnational Repression
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
At the international level, malware has become a tool of transnational repression – enabling governments to reach across national borders to silence and surveil dissidents. We speak with Siena Anstis, senior legal advisor at The Citizen Lab, about how digital transnational repression takes place, how it implicates human rights, and how governments around the world are responding to its occurrence.
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Cybersécurité et le droit, partie 1 : un guide pratique pour le 21e siècle
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
Selon les statistiques les plus récentes de Statistique Canada, deux grandes entreprises canadiennes sur cinq auraient été victimes d’une cyberattaque. Dans cet épisode, nous explorons les implications légales découlant des logiciels malveillants (“malware”) avec Maître Éloïse Gratton, avocate et associée au cabinet Borden Ladner Gervais. Nous discutons les impacts au droit à la vie privée, la protection des renseignements confidentiels et personnels et les obligations légales des entreprises de signaler ou de notifier les incidents.
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Conversion Therapy and Narratives of Cure: Debunking Anti-LGBTQ2+ Rhetoric in Law
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
While proponents of conversion therapy argue that legislative bans infringe on freedoms of expression and religion, its opponents contend that failing to impose a ban would have harmful consequences. Now criminalized at the federal level, we discuss the practice of conversion therapy: its impacts, ideological underpinnings, and the legislative approaches to its ban in Canada. We speak with Dr. Kristopher Wells, associate professor in the Faculty of Health and Community Studies at MacEwen University, and author of the Canada Research Chair report, “Conversion Therapy in Canada: A Guide for...
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Le droit des locataires durant la crise du logement au Québec
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
Dans cet épisode, nous explorons les droits et obligations respectives des propriétaires et des locataires au Québec. Nous discutons du phénomène des rénovictions, des particularités du Tribunal administratif du logement, ainsi que de certains mécanismes mis en place pour protéger les droits des locataires et de solutions potentielles à la crise du logement qui touche plusieurs villes du Québec. Nous parlons avec Me Marc-André Émard, avocat au Bureau Centre-Sud de l’aide juridique, et Me Daniel Crespo Villareal, chargé de cours en droit du logement à l’Université du...
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The law, politics, and history of equalization in Canada
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
Enshrined in the Canadian Constitution since 1982, Canada’s equalization program transfers federal tax revenue to provinces whose fiscal capacity is less than the national average. But since its inception, equalization has been subject to recurring public debate and controversy. In this episode we explore the constitutional legal history of equalization and unpack Alberta’s 2021 equalization referendum with Professor Eric Adams from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law.
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Social Determinants of Health & the Charter: Has the Right to Health Been Realized in Canada?
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
Reflecting on 40 years of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we speak with Professor Martha Jackman from the University of Ottawa about the right to health. In particular, we explore how the right has been litigated on section 7 and section 15 grounds to advance protection over social determinants of health—such as access to food, clean water, and housing—with varying degrees of success. This special episode was produced in collaboration with the .
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Climate Change and the Charter: Securing the Right to a Healthy Environment
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
In a new and historic constitutional challenge, seven youth plaintiffs allege that the Ontario government's weakening of the province's 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target violates their Charter rights. In this episode, we explore the history of Mathur v Ontario and discuss whether governmental climate plans are reviewable by courts. Our guest is Fraser Thomson, a lawyer at Ecojustice who is representing the Mathur claimants.
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The Law of Armed Conflict and its Limits: Lessons from Afghanistan
The McGill Law Journal Podcast
The Afghanistan War and its legacy continue to exert a profound influence over Canada’s national security policy. In this episode, we reflect on Canada’s role within the war and the international humanitarian law that governed the conflict. We speak with Retired Maj Gen Blaise Cathcart, Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Armed Forces (2010–2017), and Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell, Research Professor of International Dispute Resolution at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame.
info_outlineHas Canada achieved the right balance between protecting the state’s national security interest and respecting the legitimate privacy expectations of Canadians? In this episode, we speak with Professor Vincent Gautrais (Université de Montréal) and Éloïse Gratton, a partner and co-Chair of the Privacy Practice Group at McMillan LLP, about state surveillance in Canada and its impact on the right to privacy.
Le Canada a-t-il atteint le juste équilibre entre les intérêts gouvernementaux dans la protection de la sécurité nationale et les attentes des Canadiens en matière de vie privée ? Dans cet épisode, nous rencontrons le professeur Vincent Gautrais de l’Université de Montréal et Me Éloïse Gratton, co-présidente du groupe en protection de la vie privée au cabinet d’avocats McMillan, afin de discuter de la surveillance étatique et de ses impacts sur le droit à la vie privée.