Student wins Lord Reading Law Society Award
At the annual Lord Reading Law Society Student Dinner on February 5, 2020, the Lord Reading Law Society’s Young Bar committee, president and Dean Robert Leckey presented a student award to [BCL/JD candidate] Nathaniel Reilly for “highest standing in First Year in the Faculty of Law, McGill University, for the 2018-2019 Academic Year.” The event was attended by many McGill Law students and alumni. See the photo album on Facebook…
Student wins 2020 Women General Counsel Canada Scholarship
Women General Counsel Canada, 25 January 2020
WGCC recently announced that [BCL/JD candidate] Ana Qarri has been selected for the 2020 Women General Counsel Scholarship winner. To qualify for this scholarship, Ana had to be a current Canadian law student in the second year of a JD or LLB program and had to demonstrate a commitment to the mission of WGCC and to the advancement of women in the legal profession. Read the full announcement.
Transformer des idées pieuses en réalité
Pierre-Alexandre Cardinal, candidat au doctorat, LaPresse+, 23 janvier 2020
Avec l’ouverture du Forum économique de Davos sous le thème des « Stakeholders pour un monde rassembleur et durable », il y a lieu de se questionner plus longuement sur une question soulevée il y a quelques semaines dans une précédente lettre : comment mettre en pratique les principes idéalistes de la gouvernance par les parties prenantes (stakeholders) ? Pour en lire plus…
Review Essay: The Case for ‘Moderate Nationalism’
Michael Da Silva, Banting Postdoctoral Fellow, Res Publica, 21 January 2020
Several recent works in political philosophy examine twenty-first century nationalism or populism. While there is no consensus on whether the phenomenon is ‘new’, most scholars agree that ‘contemporary majority nationalism’ (CMN) is ascendant. CMN can be broadly characterized as a right-wing, anti-elite political position committed to reforming purportedly liberal institutions and to prioritizing the concerns and interests of a national majority, including the building of community ties among majority members. That said, whether ‘CMN’ describes a unique, uniform political position is debatable. Keep reading…
Scientology’s Legal System
Phil Lord, LLM candidate, Marburg Journal of Religion, Vol. 21, no. 1 (2019)
This paper provides a broad overview of the legal system of the religion of Scientology. No legal scholar has yet provided such an overview. This fact is somewhat perplexing, as the religion was founded some seventy years ago. More broadly, the literature on Scientology is far sparser than that on other recently founded religions such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (two religions which count far more adherents than Scientology). Keep reading…
Let the world know how you can change it
J. Mauricio Gaona, DCL candidate, McGill Reporter, 16 January 2020
Fostering the advancement of knowledge is a universal sign of progress. It is our social responsibility as researchers not to let empowered fear, ignorance, or hate provide the answers society more than ever needs. Millions across the planet find themselves homeless, dying from incurable diseases, struggling to meet their most basic needs, preparing for or working in jobs that will soon disappear, or escaping from different forms of violence to encounter dissimilar forms of indifference, discrimination and, in some instances, more violence. At the same time, an increasingly anxious and frightened society finds itself divided, alienated, hopeless. Read more…
Une enclave économique donne-t-elle automatiquement le droit à un droit de passage?
George Yeryomin, candidat au BCL/JD, et Amélie Lemay, Blogue du CRL, 9 janvier 2020
Le propriétaire d’un terrain enclavé économiquement désire en changer l’usage et il réclame un droit de passage sur le fonds voisin qui lui serait plus commode. A-t-il le droit de le faire en vertu de l’article 997 du Code civil du Québec (C.c.Q.) ? Dans l’affaire Rankin c. Gaucher (2019 QCCA 1718), la Cour d’appel a déterminé que non. La loi n’accorde qu’un passage de nécessité, pas de commodité. Un passage plus commode n’est pas accordé pour un fonds enclavé ayant une issue suffisante pour une exploitation congrue avec la destination des lieux où il se trouve. Lire l’article ici.
Experts share diverse views on how to address climate impacts
Globe 2020 Report, The Globe & Mail, 9 January 2020
While the impact of climate change is already evident across the globe, the effects will disproportionately be felt by young people and future generations. This inspires [BCL/JD candidate] Larissa Parker to focus her attention on litigation that seeks to hold actors accountable and increase action on climate change. “We are not tackling climate change as fast as we should. The world’s most vulnerable are already experiencing the impacts of climate change and it is absolutely devastating,” says the youth advocate. Read more here.
Montreal 2020 with Balarama Holness
Daybreak Montreal with Mike Finnerty, CBC Radio, 7 January 2020
Throughout the month of January, we’ll be speaking to some of the players, movers and shakers, people who really care about this city and its future as we enter a new decade. Today, we spoke with [BCL/JD candidate] Balarama Holness – he ran as Project Montreal candidate for mayor of Montreal-North, three years ago. Holness has also launched a petition calling on the city to hold public consultations on systemic racism and discrimination. Those consultations were held this past fall and the recommendations will be released this spring. Listen to the interview here.
Tax Expenditures and Complexity in a VAT System: The Case of Brazil
Ivan Ozai, DCL candidate, CEP Blog, 7 January 2020
Despite its known regressivity, the value-added tax (VAT) has been considered a robust tool for development, especially if integrated into a well-implemented tax-and-benefit system. VAT is often considered a neutral tax that minimizes distortions and is particularly relevant to low- and middle-income countries due to its simplicity to administer and potential to effectively reduce tax evasion. In general, VAT is also a relatively simple tax to administer. However, several design issues might make a VAT complex and inefficient. The sustained use of tax expenditures either to promote social goals or to attract investments is a case in point. Read more…
Le manifeste de Davos après un demi-siècle : quel genre de capitalisme voulons-nous ?
Pierre-Alexandre Cardinal, candidat au DCL, La Presse+, 3 janvier 2020
Dans un récent communiqué, Klaus Schwab, fondateur du Forum économique mondial – plus communément appelé forum de Davos – posait la question suivante : quel genre de capitalisme voulons-nous ? La pertinence de la question se confirme par les réalités contemporaines imposées par un système de plus en plus déconnecté des réalités de ses multiples parties prenantes. Pour en lire plus…
Relationally Speaking: The Implications of Treating Embryos as Property in a Canadian Context
Kathleen Hammond, RGHL Postdoctoral Fellow, Canadian Journal of Family Law 32(2) pp 323-385
In July 2018, the Ontario Superior Court, in S.H. v D.H., dealt with a dispute between a recently separated couple over a frozen embryo that the couple had created. In his judgment, Justice Del Frate stated that the embryo should be conceived of as property. This was the cause of uproar among feminist legal scholars who were concerned with the possible repercussions for cisgender women of labeling embryos as property. Read more…