A Legal Forum for Intellectual Diversity

The Runnymede Society is a membership-based organization that invites speakers from all across the ideological spectrum to debate legal ideas that engage the rule of law, constitutionalism, and individual liberty. The goal is to focus on these age-old principles in the context of real issues that are not often explored in the law school classrooms.

The Runnymede Society Announces Two Graduate Legal Fellowships, Honouring Justices Jack Major and Marshall Rothstein

(La version française suit) CALGARY: The Runnymede Society is pleased to announce the expansion of its graduate legal fellowship program, offering two prestigious awards to exceptional Canadian students pursuing graduate legal studies. This year, in addition to the established Jack Major Fellowship, the Society will award a new Marshall Rothstein Fellowship. Both fellowships provide a $25,000.00 award. These fellowships are designed to support students who demonstrate a commitment to constitutionalism, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, principles central to

Read More »

Milousis: Limiting Harm vs Freedom of Expression

Can free expression be limited based on an administrative body’s prediction of resulting harm? Can a university expel a student for having an opinion on a particular social issue that it considers unprofessional? Lia Milousis, lawyer with the Acacia Group and leader of our Ottawa lawyers’ chapter, discusses two cases involving the prevention of harm as a reason for limiting freedom of speech.

Read More »

Newman: Property Rights and the Charter

Why were property rights excluded from the Charter? Professor Dwight Newman of the University of Saskatchewan joined students at the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law to discuss his research on this subject and the opportunity for further study on this topic. Further reading: Dwight Newman & Lorelle Binnion, “The Exclusion of Property Rights from the Charter: Correcting the Historical Record” (2015) 52:3 Alta. L. Rev. 543

Read More »

Bildy: Challenging the Statement of Principles

Did the Law Society of Ontario’s proposed Statement of Principles (SOP) present a threat to free speech? Today’s encore episode features Lisa Bildy, a Bencher and lawyer specializing in freedom of expression cases, who spoke with our UWO student chapter about her experience standing up to the Law Society.

Read More »

Olszynski: The Alberta “Shadow Court” Act?

Is the Alberta Sovereignty Act a mechanism to provide a “shadow court” that challenges federal laws? Martin Olszynski, Professor of law at the University of Calgary and member of the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s advisory council on impact assessment, discusses the constitutionality of the Alberta Sovereignty Act.

Read More »

Zhu and Sérafin: Carter v Canada

How did Carter v Canada change the Canadian legal landscape? Today’s encore episode of Runnymede Radio is from a discussion hosted by McGill’s Runnymede chapter with Professors Yuan Yi Zhu, of Leiden University, and Stéphane Sérafin, of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. This episode features Jacob McConville, president of the Runnymede Society’s chapter at McGill University, as guest host.

Read More »
Tuesday
03
February 3, 2026 | 4:30 pm

Framing Power: Executive Authority Through Law, Politics, and the Art of Dentons

Dentons Canada LLP (Calgary) |

The Runnymede Society’s Calgary Lawyer Chapter, in collaboration with Dentons Canada LLP, is pleased to invite you to an evening examining the intersection of law, [...]

Friday
30
January 30, 2026 | 6:00 pm

Law & Freedom 2026

The Carlu and Hart House |

The Runnymede Society is pleased to announce that tickets are now on sale for Law & Freedom 2026. Runnymede’s annual Law & Freedom conference is [...]

Thursday
22
January 22, 2026 | 12:00 pm

A Decade of Danger? Understanding the Rise in Urban Violent Crime

University of Alberta Faculty of Law (Room LC 113) |

Please join the Runnymede Society’s University of Alberta Chapter for a presentation on trends in urban violent crime with Prof. Dave Snow (University of Guelph) [...]

Friday
28
November 28, 2025 | 5:00 pm

Qui devrait avoir le dernier mot ? L’article 33 et la révision judiciaire

Université de Moncton (Local 142 | Pavillon Adrien-J Cormier) |

Rejoignez-vous à la section de l’Université de Moncton de la Société Runnymede pour une discussion sur l’article 33 de la Charte canadienne des droits et [...]

Wednesday
26
November 26, 2025 | 1:00 pm

“Can the Centre Hold?” with Justice Malcolm Rowe

Osgoode Hall Law School (Moot Court - IKB 1005 & 1006) |

Please join the Runnymede Society’s Osgoode Hall Chapter for a special event with Justice Malcolm Rowe of the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday, November [...]

Join our newsletter for event news near you.

Why join?

INTELLECTUAL ENRICHMENT

We provide funding for debates, symposia, and panel discussions with external speakers and refreshments. We are able to assist with reaching out to speakers and fund out-of-town speaker travel expenses.

SOCIAL LIFE

We host regular networking events with local members of the legal profession, academics, journalists, and other students.

ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE

We aim to connect first-year students with upper-years who can provide mentorship and academic guidance, as well as course summaries.

en_CAEnglish (Canada)