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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 (37)
  • November 28 2023 - November 30 2023

    Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan Education Seminar

    Drawing on the expertise of experienced judges, academics, and other professionals, this seminar considered issues relating to judicial wellness and intimate partner violence, with a focus on family violence and how it impacts children. Experienced academics, a judge and a probation officer shared best practices around the use of pre-sentence reports, reliance on Gladue factors and the application of Impact of Race and Culture Assessments. A legal academic discussed three emerging themes: self-government, non-discrimination, and access to justice, in an Indigenous context. The seminar concluded with a session on binding pre-trials.

    View more - Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan Education Seminar
  • 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.

    View more - Court of King's Bench of Manitoba 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
  • 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
  • January 25 2023 - January 27 2023

    Court of King’s Bench of Alberta Education Seminar

    This program was led by experienced judges, legal academics, and practitioners. Through a mix of lectures, panel discussions and interactive activities, the program explored: third party records in sexual assault cases; intimate partner violence; firearms and illegal drugs; the role of children’s services in parenting disputes; interjurisdictional issues in family law; and cryptocurrency.

    View more - Court of King’s Bench of Alberta Education Seminar
  • 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)
  • November 7 2022 - November 7 2022

    Superior Court of Justice (Ontario) Family Court Branch Heidi S. Levenson Polowin Education Seminar 2022

    The seminar addressed primarily to Family Court judges of the Superior Court of Justice (Ontario) immediately preceded the court’s fall education Seminar. However, all members of the court were invited to attend the program given the timely and relevant topics addressed.

    View more - Superior Court of Justice (Ontario) Family Court Branch Heidi S. Levenson Polowin Education Seminar 2022