Skip to menu Skip to main content
Show search field
fr
  1. Home
  2. What We Do
  3. Professional Development
  4. Programs

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.

Tags

Tags
Programs (41)
  • 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)
  • 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
  • May 24 2023 - May 26 2023

    Court of Appeal of Quebec - Spring Education Meeting

    This seminar covered a broad range of topics to help judges gain relevant skills, tools and knowledge. Workshops about judicial well-being were followed by presentations on the state of the justice system and the role of the judge in contemporary society. Participants also discussed Indigenous law, legal pluralism, and the justiciability of social and economic rights and how case law might evolve in this area. The program concluded with a presentation on emerging issues at the U.S. Supreme Court and what Canadian judges can learn from them.

    View more - Court of Appeal of Quebec - Spring Education Meeting
  • May 24 2023 - May 26 2023

    Court of Appeal of Québec: Spring Training Meetin

    This program focused on different topics, covering practical skills and useful tools to be integrated into the work of a judge, as well as legal knowledge. The first workshops were devoted to the well-being of judges. Subsequent presentations looked at the state of justice and the role of judges in modern society. Participants also discussed the justiciability of social and economic rights and the future of case law in this area, as well as indigenous rights and legal pluralism. The course concluded with a presentation on emerging issues at the Supreme Court of the United States and the lessons to be learned for Canadian judges.

    View more - Court of Appeal of Québec: Spring Training Meetin
  • 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)