A Legal Forum for Intellectual Diversity

Did Canada breach its constitutional agreement with Alberta, prompting the creation of the Alberta Sovereignty Act? Professor Geoffrey Sigalet from the University of British Columbia and Jesse Hartery, Ph.D. candidate at Melbourne Law School, discuss the Alberta Sovereignty Act. This episode features guest host Jacob McConville, president of the Runnymede Society’s student chapter at McGill University. For further reading, take a look at their joint paper, “The Frontiers of Nullification and Anticommandeering: Federalism and Extrajudicial Constitutional Interpretation.”

Thank you for listening to Runnymede Radio! Tim Haggstrom, the host of Runnymede Radio and the Runnymede Society’s National Director, has a special message for our listeners, reflecting on this past season’s episodes and discussing our idea for next season’s theme: self-censorship in Canadian law schools. Feel free to contact us and send your ideas for next season by emailing us at communications@runnymedesociety.ca.

Can administrative decisions be shielded from judicial scrutiny by section 33 of the Charter?  Professor Andy Yu from Western University discusses his forthcoming paper on whether legislators can pass on to administrative bodies the immunity afforded by the notwithstanding clause.

How can we remain committed to free speech while addressing misinformation and disinformation in our democracies? Has social media “aggravated the harm of speech and made legal responses less practical”? Professor Richard Moon of the University of Windsor dives into these important questions and more in his latest appearance on Runnymede Radio, building upon his latest book, The Life and Death of Freedom of Expression.

How will Bill C-63, commonly known as the Online Harms Act, impact Canada’s Human Rights Commission and Tribunal? Professor Dave Snow of the University of Guelph, discusses how descriptive statistics can help us understand the significant changes that Bill C-63 is expected to bring.

Should the Senate avoid adopting bills that invoke Section 33 and risk being struck down by the Charter? Professor Ryan Alford of Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law breaks down a controversial motion introduced into the Senate in May 2024 that could lead to deadlock between the House of Commons and the Senate.