Training that never stops

For the sake of transparency, since 2018, the Council annually publishes a list of courses and seminars available during the previous fiscal year. The following is a list of courses, seminars and other learning activities attended by federally appointed judges to continue their learning and enhance their knowledge.

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Programs (28)
  • November 29 2023 - December 1 2023

    Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Education Seminar

    Led by experienced judges and legal academics, this program used a combination of lectures, discussion, and interactive elements. Sessions included a "primer" on hearsay including a review of the traditional exceptions and the “principled approach” for admissibility; an interactive discussion on issues arising in domestic contracts; a session on estate litigation including how estate law intersects with family law; and practical sessions designed to increase judicial skills in managing jury trials and conducting bail review hearings. The program also included a presentation on the intersection of coercive control and human trafficking, in which participants heard from a survivor, a representative of law enforcement and academic faculty.

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  • October 12 2023 - October 13 2023

    Court of King's Bench of Manitoba Education Seminar

    Drawing on the expertise of experienced judges, academics, and other professionals, this seminar began with concurrent sessions for General Division and Family Division judges. The General Division sessions offered a refresher and update on the law of evidence in relation to: the principled approach to hearsay; the admissibility, proof and use of prior statements of witnesses; the realities of federal and provincial corrections; pre-sentencing reports, Impact of Race and Culture Assessments, and sentencing more generally. The Family Division sessions examined children's evidence and expert evidence in family law; income determination; and updates on new family law jurisprudence. All judges attended sessions on Métis history, rights, and laws, and on judicial review.

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  • April 13 2023 - April 14 2023

    Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba Education Seminar

    This seminar was presented by an experienced faculty of judges, legal academics, and professionals working inside and outside of the legal system. Participants were provided with concrete tools and advice to promote efficient judgment writing and the ability to deliver oral judgments. They explored ways in which judges and courts can better interact with different categories of difficult or abusive litigants. Judges discussed best practices to prepare, manage, and remain resilient when presiding over high-profile trials. A session for General Division judges focused on writing reasons in sexual assault cases and discussed: the impermissible use of common-sense reasoning in assessing credibility; stereotypical reasoning in relation to cross-cultural interpretations of human behaviour; and errors applying W.D. Meanwhile, a session for Family Division judges provided practical approaches to the use parental capacity assessments and culturally based parenting practices. The final session focused on the importance of and need for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

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  • November 30 2022 - December 2 2022

    Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Education Seminar - Fall 2022

    This seminar provided training on a variety of substantive law, social context and judicial skills related topics. The sessions included an examination of recent and significant cases in sexual assault law, interviewing children, guardianship of the person, the jury selection process and managing difficult litigants.

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  • October 13 2022 - October 14 2022

    Court of King's Bench of Manitoba Education Seminar – Fall 2022

    This seminar was a thematic examination of violence in the family and criminal law context combined with Supreme Court of Canada caselaw updates. All judges attended plenary sessions that examined intimate partner violence ("IPV"), its intersection with criminal and family law, and the specific impact of IPV in Indigenous communities. These were followed by concurrent sessions offered separately to members of the Court’s Family Division and members of the Court’s General Division.

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