Superior Court of Québec: Divisional Meeting (Montréal) Spring 2021

Overview

This meeting allowed participants to explore a wide range of topics relevant to their field of practice. Some themes were aimed at all judges of the Court, while others were more specifically tailored to who hear civil matters or to judges who hear criminal matters.

Objective

Over the course of the day-and-a-half session, which involved a variety of teaching methods, participants acquired new knowledge on various topics, as well as new skills and tools that they will be able to apply in their daily duties. They also explored the social context of relevant topics

Summary

This divisional meeting focused on the three dimensions of judicial education: acquiring knowledge, developing skills and abilities, and developing awareness of the social context relating to a variety of legal and judicial issues. On the morning of the first day, simultaneous sessions were held for civil judges and criminal judges. Judges who hear civil matters attended sessions on the new Divorce Act, which included a discussion of the social context underlying the concepts of best interests of the child and domestic violence. Judges who hear criminal matters successively examined the impact on a jury of sexual assault myths and stereotypes, technology in the courtroom, and the implementation of new jury selection provisions. All participants participated in sessions on judicial notice, on different types of evidentiary privileges (including both theoretical and practical perspectives), on the key principles of judicial review on the merits, and on psychosocial expert reports in family cases.