Training that never stops

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.