Conference programme

In this session we will explore activism in Canada and beyond.

The modern era of smart phones and social media has coincided with a coarsening of discourse, political polarization, and campus radicalization. Social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and continued work-from-home practices have eroded the bonds between people from diverse backgrounds that further contribute to these trends. The legal profession is not immune from these trends, with charges of “lawfare” and “existential threat” to the rule of law from across the political spectrum. On the other hand, the profession also has the potential to help fix what is broken, given opportunities for international dialogue, reconciliation, fairness, and objectivity inherent in legal practice. Join our panel who will offer their views regarding how the current environment is fuelling societal conflict, what steps have and can be taken to ameliorate the situation, and how lawyers and regulation can help (and hurt) those efforts.

With the proliferation of international conflicts waged through economic – in addition to conventional – means, sanctions has emerged as an area of legal practice which has changed frequently in recent years and continues to do so. Please join our panel of eminent speakers with diverse interests in the field as they canvass the role of sanctions as non-judicial means of international law enforcement, as well as issues of concern, including the implications of sanctions on access to justice, access to legal representation, and the role of lawyers, business, and the administration of justice during times of conflict.  Panellists will speak on their experience and observations, then engage in a discussion amongst themselves, and the floor will then be open for Q&A.