Runnymede Radio

Is free speech protected in Canada? Christine Van Geyn, Litigation Director, and Josh Dehaas, Counsel, for the Canadian Constitution Foundation join us to talk about their latest book, "Free Speech in Canada." The book provides a history of this important right and how it has evolved. This episode features guest host Sam Benzaquen, Vice President of the Runnymede Society’s student chapter at McGil...

How can legal professionals better understand the meaning of the Canadian constitution? MP Scott Reid and Michael J. Scott discuss Primary Documents, "a searchable database of historical documents relating to the drafting and adoption of the Constitution of Canada." Their work aims to facilitate legal research and provide a better understanding of Canada's constitutional law and history. For more...

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 Unive...

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@...

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...

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.

What is the force and scope of the Charter in administrative contexts? Professor Mark Mancini of Thompson Rivers University tackles this issue by taking a look at key cases that have marked significant shifts in the role that the Charter has played in administrative law.

Will the Power v Canada decision significantly shift the way that parliamentary privilege operates in Canada? Professor Philippe Lagassé of Carleton University and Professor Leonid Sirota of the University of Reading discuss the controversial Power decision and its impacts on the relationship between Canada’s legislative and judicial branches.

Let’s take a look at key moments in Runnymede history: its inception, core values, and plans for the future. Naomi Papavero, Operations and Communications Director of the Runnymede Society, sits down with Tim Haggstrom, Runnymede’s current National Director, and Joanna Baron, the founding National Director, to discuss how the Society has evolved over time.

In this final encore episode from Runnymede’s Law & Freedom 2024 national conference, Justice Malcolm Rowe of the Supreme Court of Canada delivers a keynote lecture on constitutionalism in a free and democratic society.

In this encore episode from Runnymede's Law & Freedom 2024 national conference, Mark Mancini of the University of British Columbia moderates a panel discussion on the Federal Court's ruling on the 2022 invocation of the federal Emergencies Act, featuring Professor Ryan Alford, Sujit Choudhry, and Professor Michelle Gallant.

In this encore episode from Runnymede's Law & Freedom 2024 national conference, Moira Lavoie of Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP moderates a panel discussion on the state of administrative law in Canada, featuring Justice David Stratas of the Federal Court of Appeal, Jennifer Bernardo, and Mark Mancini. This episode has been accredited for 20 EDI professionalism minutes with the Law Society of...

In this encore episode from Runnymede's Law & Freedom 2024 national conference, Professor Gerard Kennedy of the University of Alberta moderates a panel discussion on emerging issues in the Canadian law of federalism with Professor Michelle Gallant, Paul Warchuk, and Samuel Beswick. ___ Dans cet épisode de la conférence nationale Law & Freedom 2024 de Runnymede, le professeur Gerard Kennedy de l'Un...

In this encore episode from Runnymede's Law & Freedom 2024 national conference, National Director Kristopher Kinsinger moderates a panel discussion on reputation and free expression in the practice of defamation law, featuring Adam Goldenberg, Asher Honickman, and Lorne Honickman. This episode has been accredited for 20 EDI professionalism minutes with the Law Society of Ontario.    

In this encore episode from Runnymede's Law & Freedom 2024 national conference, Aaron Wudrick of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute moderates a panel discussion on emerging issues in the Canadian law of federalism with Brett Carlson, Patricia Paradis, Derek Ross, and Professor Mary Shariff.

In this encore episode from Runnymede's Law & Freedom 2024 national conference, Justice Peter Lauwers sits down with Chief Justice Michael Tulloch of the Ontario Court of Appeal for a fireside discussion on the rule of law and legal practice. This episode has been accredited for 20 EDI professionalism minutes with the Law Society of Ontario.

In this special episode of Runnymede Radio, guest host Jake McConville sits down with Professor Ryan Alford of Lakehead University and Stéphane Sérafin of the University of Ottawa to discuss the Quebec Court of Appeal's recent decision in Hak v. Quebec, concerning the constitutionality of Quebec's Act respecting the laicity of the state.

In this episode of Runnymede Radio, Kristopher Kinsinger sits down with Jamie Cameron, professor emerita at Osgoode Hall Law School, and Richard Moon, professor at the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Law, to discuss the “forgotten freedom” of peaceful assembly.

In this episode of Runnymede Radio, Kristopher Kinsinger sits down with Colton Fehr, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Law, to discuss his recently released book, Judging Sex Work: Bedford and the Attenuation of Rights.

In this special episode of Runnymede Radio, guest hosts Xavier Foccroulle Ménard and Jake McConville sit down with Adrian Vermeule, the Ralph S. Tyler Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, to discuss the development of doctrine and his 2022 book, Common Good Constitutionalism.

In this episode of Runnymede Radio, Kristopher Kinsinger sits down with Kerri Froc, Professor at UNB Law and Derek Ross, Executive Director of Christian Legal Fellowship, to discuss the future of MAID Laws in Canada.

In this episode of Runnymede Radio, host Kristopher Kinsinger sits down with Asher Honickman, partner with Jordan Honickman Barristers, to discuss recent changes in the law of defamation, including the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2023 decision in Hansman v Neufeld.

In this episode of Runnymede Radio, Kristopher Kinsinger sits down with Lauren Heuser, the founding publisher and editor of Canadian Affairs, to discuss how the federal Online News Act has affected publishers both large and small.