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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 (45)
  • November 28 2022 - November 28 2022

    Teaching Indigenous Law 2022

    Including special guests from the University of Victoria Indigenous Law program, an event was held to celebrate the installation of 6 pieces of Indigenous artwork, including land acknowledgements, in the Whitehorse Courthouse atrium in an event called Towards Reconciliation.

    View more - Teaching Indigenous Law 2022
  • January 1 2023 - May 11 2024

    Ontario Superior Court of Justice (North East) Education Semina

    The Sudbury judges have conducted two regional educational programs this past year. The first was a session at our regional conference in June entitled an “Eagle Feather Teaching” session. The second was held in October in conjunction with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and was about the court’s role in reconciliation with our indigenous population. In addition, NE judges participate as panelists and attendees at the Colloquium, a legal educational event organized each year by the Sudbury District Law Association. One judge also participated recently in delivering a talk to member of the Temiskaming Law Association about family law.

    View more - Ontario Superior Court of Justice (North East) Education Semina
  • January 16 2023 - January 20 2023

    Judging in Your First Five Years: Criminal Law (Federally Appointed Judges)

    The program was led by a multi-disciplinary faculty of experienced judges, practitioners, and academics and was addressed to judges having between one and five years of experience. Participants engaged in a mix of presentations and breakout exercises based on a sexual assault fact scenario from pre-trial through to sentencing, with emphasis placed on the skills of trial management. Throughout the seminar, participants also learned about myths and stereotypes in sexual assault cases, the statistical realities and social dynamics of intimate partner violence, testimonial accommodations for vulnerable witnesses, and the experiences of Indigenous women and girls in the criminal justice system.

    View more - Judging in Your First Five Years: Criminal Law (Federally Appointed Judges)
  • January 31 2023 - February 3 2023

    Dealing Effectively with Judicial Review: Joint CIAJ and NJI Program

    Leading experts including judges, lawyers, and academics led a variety of lectures and practical workshops around preliminary issues in a judicial review application, procedural fairness and substantive review, and remedies. Presenters also discussed the intersection of Indigenous law and judicial review, as well as future challenges in this field.

    View more - Dealing Effectively with Judicial Review: Joint CIAJ and NJI Program
  • March 8 2023 - March 10 2023

    Indigenous Law Seminar

    This seminar began with a pipe ceremony and teachings from a local Elder to situate Indigenous legal traditions within a broader understanding of legal orders. The day followed with discussions surrounding concepts of traditional conceptions of justice and law, and how legal orders interact in a pluralist environment. Participants visited the White Buffalo Youth Lodge and heard presentations from representatives from the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. The following sessions included discussions on Indigenous self-governance, Indigenous law in criminal and family matters, and mechanisms for applying Indigenous laws in Canadian courtrooms. Discussions also centered on the ethical considerations of ceremonies and cultural events in and out of the courtroom.

    View more - Indigenous Law Seminar
  • 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.

    View more - Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba Education Seminar
  • April 16 2023 - March 21 2024

    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)