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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 (66)
  • March 12 2024 - April 16 2024

    Northern Courts Education Seminar

    Led by experienced judges and leading academics, this seminar used a combination of lectures, discussions and an off-site visit as means for judges to increase knowledge in substantive criminal and family law matters, to enhance judgment writing skills, and to explore and learn more about the social context of northern indigenous communities. Participants were provided with an in depth overview of recent developments in Canadian law on sexual offences, including the law related to third party records applications and records in the possession of the accused; other sessions examined the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the challenges associated with electronic evidence in court, and social media evidence in particular. Judges were provided guidance about crafting concise, sufficient, and accessible reasons, and a multi-disciplinary panel guided participants through the multiple normative orders of the Canadian legal landscape, with specific reference to Indigenous legal orders in the northern territories. The seminar concluded with a visit to a local wellness camp for a session led by local Indigenous elders.

    View more - Northern Courts Education Seminar
  • November 23 2023 - November 23 2023

    WRITING REASONS IN SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES

    An inquiry into the history of sexual assault cases in the Canadian criminal justice system points to a system wrought with biases, stereotypes and prejudices. Only in the last few decades did the law begin to swiftly progress. Because of this progression, courts across Canada have identified many stereotypes that live in the minds of decision-makers, including judges and juries, which are now prohibited from relying on when making decisions. As the law has developed protections against stereotypes, the social climate has adjusted so that blatant and common stereotypes are less and less common. CIAJ has been teaching Judgment Writing for 40 years now (a four day functionally bilingual seminar for judges who wish to improve their understanding of the principles of effective judgment writing and their ability to put them into practice). Throughout the years various challenges have arisen in the courtrooms. The assessment of credibility in sexual assault cases is one that is often stated as one of the most difficult one to tackle. Given CIAJ and its experts’ vast experience in judgment writing, CIAJ has decided to develop a one-day seminar to address this particular issue. The program, intended for judges, includes plenary sessions, small-group workshops and time devoted to drafting reasons. 6 Members of the judiciary will benefit from this seminar by learning and improving their writing skills when writing such reasons. They will receive expert feedback from the speakers and the experienced judges working with us. This seminar is conceived by CIAJ faculty to help judges improve their writing skills and their reasons in complex cases. After the first iteration of the program, the curriculum will be evaluated to improve it and make it accurate to today’s judicial needs and changes.

    View more - WRITING REASONS IN SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES
  • November 14 2023 - November 14 2023

    Criminal Appellate Practice for Trial and Appellate Judges: Standard of Review and Beyond

    Using a combination of lecture-based presentations, panel discussions, and interactive elements, participants learned from experienced judges and other leading experts about how to effectively resolve questions relating to standard of review, remedies, appellate review in sexual assault proceedings, and current and contentious issues in criminal law appeals.

    View more - Criminal Appellate Practice for Trial and Appellate Judges: Standard of Review and Beyond
  • October 23 2023 - November 3 2023

    Seminar for New Federally Appointed Judges: Joint CIAJ and NJI Spring and Fall Programs (Common Law and Civil Law)

    The seminars were led by experienced judges, with the assistance of seasoned lawyers and academics. Several learning methods—including lectures, courtroom role-playing videos, and small group discussions—were used to impart the knowledge and develop the skills judges need to perform their new duties effectively. Some of the sessions were designed for all judges, while others were specifically for common law or civil law judges, or for judges sitting on the Federal Court or Federal Court of Appeal. All participants jointly attended sessions on judicial independence, conduct and ethics, judgment writing, civility and effective communication in the courtroom, unconscious bias, strategies to ensure equal access to justice for persons with disabilities, and the relationship between the judge’s role and the social context, with particular emphasis on sexual assault law, racial discrimination, and cases involving Indigenous people. Judges from all jurisdictions also participated in sessions on family law, injunctive relief, oral judgments, judicial review of administrative actions, evidence law, civil procedure, self-represented litigants, courtroom management and case management. A series of sessions for common law judges focused on criminal law topics, from jury selection to sentencing to specific issues in sexual assault trials. Civil law judges, meanwhile, worked on issues of statutory criminal law, applications for care, and the practical aspects of being a judge. Finally, Federal Court judges attended separate sessions on the scope of the Federal Court’s jurisdiction, citizenship, immigration and refugee law, Indigenous law, and intellectual property.

    View more - Seminar for New Federally Appointed Judges: Joint CIAJ and NJI Spring and Fall Programs (Common Law and Civil Law)
  • May 30 2023 - June 2 2023

    Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Education Seminar

    Senior judges, legal academics, and professionals from the field of psychology led the program and provided participants with the opportunity to discuss challenging matters in administrative law, criminal, family, and social context topics. The program, which included a variety of presentations, panel discussions, and practical exercises, covered a number of subjects including: jurisprudential developments in the standard of review; case-management in criminal law, and enhanced practical skills in managing challenging litigants including self-represented litigants, as well as writing decisions in sexual assault matters. Judges were also provided with a unique social context session in which they heard directly from a woman judge who had escaped from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

    View more - Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Education Seminar
  • May 30 2023 - June 2 2023

    Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Education Seminar

    Senior judges, legal academics, and professionals from the field of psychology led the program and provided participants with the opportunity to discuss challenging matters in administrative law, criminal, family, and social context topics. The program, which included a variety of presentations, panel discussions, and practical exercises, covered a number of subjects including: jurisprudential developments in the standard of review; case-management in criminal law, and enhanced practical skills in managing challenging litigants including self-represented litigants, as well as writing decisions in sexual assault matters. Judges were also provided with a unique social context session in which they heard directly from a woman judge who had escaped from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

    View more - Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Education Seminar
  • May 18 2023 - May 19 2023

    Supreme Courts of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Education Seminar

    The seminar began by exploring the phenomenon of intergenerational trauma from the standpoints of neuroscience, the experiences of Black and Indigenous Nova Scotian communities, and that of two judges. Two concurrent sessions then dealt respectively with techniques for distinguishing credible science from junk science, and with natural justice and proportionality issues. A further panel provided guidance on how to effectively conduct credibility assessments and draw inferences in criminal, family, and civil proceedings. The program continued with a presentation on judgement writing, focusing specifically on the issue-driven format and point-first writing. Concurrent sessions followed on private international law, private records in sexual assault cases, and a review of the year’s family law jurisprudence. The seminar ended with a plenary session which explored resilience and improving judicial responses to stress-laden work environment.

    View more - Supreme Courts of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Education Seminar