Invigorated by their much-needed holiday break, McGill’s law students are once again hard at work on their many clubs, projects and student-initiated events. Here are a few items… 

Souleymane Guengueng speaking in the Thomson House ballroom. Credit: Laure Prévost.

On January 16, the McGill Law Journal and the Human Rights Working Group hosted a brown-bag lunch in the Thomson House ballroom with Souleymane Guengueng, the main voice against the regime of former Chadian President Hissène Habré, and Mr. Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, who acted as moderator. Mr. Guengueng spoke on his experiences as a torture survivor and political refugee, and shared his perspectives on international justice and impunity. To view the presentation, visit: bcooltv.mcgill.ca/ListRecordings.aspx?CourseID=8029.

The “unlikely” law student theatre troupe, Actus Reus, put on their annual play production on January 23, 24 and 25. This year, a cast of nine performed the tragicomedy The Dining Room by A.R. Gurney, directed by Christopher Durrant (3L) (see a photo tweeted by an audience member during the play).

Looking ahead to January 30, the McGill Chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association at McGill Law will present “Freedom of Expression in the Internet Age: the Policy Challenges of Web 2.0,” a panel discussion of the existing legal structures that regulate speech, and what kinds of policy responses can balance effective regulation with free expression.

Panelists include lawyer David Grossman, professor Shaheen Shariff and reporter Stéphane Giroux.

Starting on February 1, the Black Law Students Association of McGill (BLSAM) will present art work and images of notable Black jurists, professors, and historical figures in honour of Black History Month. The celebration will end with a film series and discussion on February 19.

On February 2, the McGill Journal of Law and Health is organizing its fifth annual McGill Student Colloquium on Health and Law, which will feature a panel discussion on “Physician-Assisted Suicide: Balancing Legal Approaches to Private and Public Interests in Canada” followed by a debate between Law Professors Daniel Weinstock and Margaret Somerville.

On February 8, RadLaw and the Human Rights Working Group will present a panel discussion entitled “Your Client has a Profile: Security and Secrecy in Canadian Law,” an update on the current state of security certificate legislation in Canada and on the cases of the five recent security certificate detainees.

And, on Feb 27, the Immigration and Refugee Rights portfolio of the McGill Human Rights Working Group, jointly with the Montreal Holocaust Museum Centre, will present an “Expert Panel on Migrant Detention.” The panel, featuring Mitchell Goldberg from the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and Jenny Jeanes from Action Réfugiés Montréal, will discuss recent changes to the Canadian immigration regime.