Symposium Submissions
Access to Justice in Data Privacy: Addressing Systemic Barriers to Privacy Protection in Canadian Law
Most Canadians do not understand their privacy rights or know how to defend them when their personal information is misused. This paper argues that Canada’s privacy protections are inadequate and fragmented, leaving citizens without consistent safeguards or meaningful remedies. The legal framework is split between federal and provincial jurisdictions, creating…
Problematizing The British Columbia Mental Health Act: Past, present and solutions for the future
The British Columbia Mental Health Act provides a framework for the treatment of individuals in mental health crises. However, in doing so the Mental Health Act also allows for sweeping police powers for the ability to detain individuals during mental health crises. Further, the Mental Health Act also allows for…
Locked Up, Left Out: How the Justice System Perpetuates a Cycle of Entrapment for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders
Substance use disorders (“SUDs”) are complex biopsychosocial conditions influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Yet Canada’s historical response has relied heavily on punitive legal measures that criminalize individuals rather than addressing the root causes of addiction. This paper critically examines how criminalization perpetuates cycles of recidivism and social inequities…
Residency, Discrimination and Self-Government in First Nations Communities and Canadian Jurisprudence – By: Robert Houle
Residency, Discrimination and Self-Government in First Nations communities and Canadian Jurisprudence explores the long-standing practice of First Nation communities and leadership maintaining a small candidate pool for on-reserve elections. One mechanism they utilize to achieve this is the application of residency clauses which require candidates to reside on the reserve for…
Mental Health and MAiD – By: Connor Fletcher
This paper considers the roll-out of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) for individuals with mental disorders. First, an overview of the Carter decision is provided before moving into an analysis of what a hypothetical prohibition on MAiD for individual with mental disorders would be viewed constitutionally. The paper then examines the…
Introducing Intimacy Coordinators in Mainstream and Adult Entertainment Film Industries: Towards Legally Ensuring Performer Safety On-Set – By: Brietta Stewart
This paper first addresses legal issues of consent (or lack thereof) during simulated sex scenes in the mainstream film industry. The primary question raised in this essay is: if a performer contractually agrees to do a simulated sex scene, does the performer have legal rights to continuous and ongoing consent…
“NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US”: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its influence on Legal Capacity and Disability Rights in Canada – By: Brett Ryan Book
Author: Brett Ryan Book ‘Nothing about us without us’ is a slogan that signifies the belief that disability rights should not be created without including the voices of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations. It was this belief that allowed for the contributions of disabled persons in drafting the…
The Forgotten World of Indigenous Procurement: Developing Effective Legal Language – By: Danielle Blanchard
Danielle Blanchard, a former law student and research assistant at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia, presents an analysis of Indigenous-centered public procurement policies in Canada. Noting that Indigenous businesses are underrepresented in the construction industry, the paper reviews various approaches which could be adopted to increase participation, including “set-asides”, unbundling…