Runnymede Society’s 2021
Law and Freedom conference
The Runnymede Society is pleased to announce that our 2021 Law and Freedom Conference will be held on March 12-13, 2021, at Hart House in Toronto, ON.
We are particularly honoured to host Justice Malcolm Rowe of the Supreme Court of Canada will be our Saturday, March 13 keynote at our 5th annual Law and Freedom Conference.
Each year, the Law and Freedom Conference gathers over 200 academics, lawyers, and law students to hear from the best and brightest in Canada’s legal community on pressing topics of importance.
Due to COVID-19, this year’s panels will be presented online with speakers joining our discussion remotely.

Schedule
Speakers
How to access
Register
Day 1 – Friday, March 12, 2021
18:00
Zoom Networking Rooms
Networking Sessions
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Participants will be divided into different rooms to chat.
19:00
Zoom Room 1
Friday Keynote: The Future of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy
With Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP, Elizabeth May, MP, & Stephanie Kusie, MP
Moderated by Brian Bird.
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In the last number of years, and throughout the COVID pandemic, Canada’s parliamentary democracy has come under stress. Controversies have arisen about the obligation of Parliament to meet and consider legislation, especially in times of emergency. This panel will consider the state of Canada’s parliamentary democracy.
Day 2 – Saturday, March 13, 2021
9:00
Zoom Room 1
Forgotten Freedoms
With Brian Bird, Derek Ross, Prof. Jamie Cameron & Prof. Dwight Newman
Moderated by Prof. Frankie Young
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COVID has raised the prospect of freedoms that have been forgotten in common parlance, such as freedom of assembly. This panel, building off the recent “Forgotten Freedoms Project,” will discuss these various forgotten freedoms, and their implications for Canadian constitutionalism.
10:30
Break
11:00
Zoom Room 1
Litigating Administrative Law Post-Vavilov
With Aaron Dantowitz, Lauren Wihak, & Alyssa Tomkins
Moderated by Mark Mancini
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Vavilov revolutionized the law of judicial review in Canada. Join three administrative law practitioners as they discuss the implications of Vavilov for the practice of administrative law and the Rule of Law in Canada.
12:30
Lunch Break
14:00
Zoom Room 1
Defining Canadian Originalism
With Prof. Kerri Froc, Prof. Leonid Sirota, Prof. Christa Scholtz & Prof. Ryan Alford
Moderated by Kris Kinsinger.
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Recent cases in the Supreme Court and the Federal Courts, following on the heels of recent scholarship, have raised the possibility of originalist constitutional interpretation finding a home in Canada. This panel will assess the factors and perspectives that will drive a distinctive Canadian originalism.
15:30
Break
16:00
Zoom Room 1
Saturday Keynote: The Virtue of Judicial Restraint
With Justice Malcolm Rowe of the Supreme Court of Canada
Register Now!
Registration is now open with discounts available for students and Runnymede Society Lawyers’ Chapter members.
Use the following link to register with Universe and we will send you all the required information to digitally attend this conference.