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Now Accepting Nominations for the 2021 Tarnopolsky Award

ICJ Canada is pleased to be accepting nominations for the prestigous Tarnopolsky Award for 2021! The Tarnopolsky Award is awarded annually to a resident of Canada who has made an outstanding contribution to human rights, domestically or internationally. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the winner will be presented the award and invited to provide a presentation at an uncoming virtual event.

To nominate someone for the award, please submit the following items to our Exective Director (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by June 30th, 2021:

  • A completed Tarnopolsky Award Nomination Form
  • Two letters of support for the candidate's nomination
  • A concise curriculum vitae of the nominee

Articles and testimonials may also be submitted. Nominations will stand for three years.

The winner is selection by a committee comprised of one representative from the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Judges’ Conference, the Canadian Society of Law Teachers, and the ICJ. The Committee is reconstituted annually.


ICJ Canada President Errol Mendes presenting the 2017 Tarnopolsky Award to Senator Murray Sinclair

ICJ Canada President Errol Mendes presenting the
2017 Tarnopolsky Award to Senator Murray Sinclair

Regulating the internet – really? Part II: The accountability and enforcement challenges

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Regulating the Internet Really Part 2 Banner

 

Tuesday, May 11 - Wednesday, May 12, 2021
12:30 - 2 p.m. ET

Via Zoom

  RSVP

The Canadian government has attempted to extend its regulatory reach over the internet through Bill C-10 (An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts) and Bill C-11 (Consumer Privacy Protection Act). But the challenges are significant and fundamental: who is accountable between all the actors? The platforms? The app developers? The individuals? Or is anyone accountable at all? And when we have attributed accountability, how do we enforce it without breaching privacy or violating freedom of expression, yet effectively extending the rule of law to the internet?

As Canada moves to regulating the internet, it is these two main legal issues that arise: accountability and enforcement. These issues will be tackled in the second edition of the conference “Regulating the Internet – Really?” organized by Dentons, the International Commission of Jurists, ICJ Canada (an international organization created 60 years ago to assert the rule of law as a matter of democracy), and the Professional Development Institute, University of Ottawa. 

We invite you to a complimentary virtual conference where Parliamentarians, representatives from the social media industry, specialized lawyers, and academics will address the specific challenges of regulating the Internet. Errol Mendes, President of the International Commission of Jurists, ICJ Canada, will provide opening remarks. 

We hope you are able to join us!  

Day 1 – Accountability on the internet 
Tuesday, May 11, 12:30 – 2 p.m. ET

Moderated by Monica Song, Partner, Dentons Canada LLP, join us on day one to hear about how the Internet has raised new challenges in upholding the rule of law and in defining who is accountable for legal compliance with: 

Day 2 – Enforcement on the internet  
Wednesday, May 12, 12:30 – 2 p.m. ET

Moderated by Chantal Bernier, Of Counsel and National Practice Leader, Privacy and Cybersecurity, Dentons Canada LLP, join us on day two to hear about the challenges in enforcing the law on the Internet with: 

  • Michele Austin, Head of Government, Public Policy and Philanthropy, Twitter 
  • Kevin Chan, Global Director and Head of Public Policy, Facebook 
  • Vivek Krishnamurthy, Professor of Law and Director of CIPPIC, University of Ottawa 
  • Arif Virani, Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada 

Download the detailed Agenda

Questions

If you have any questions pertaining to this event, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For questions relating to membership and other events relating to ICJ Canada please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Accreditation

  • LSBC: This session is registered for 90 Substantive minutes with the Law Society of British Columbia.
  • LSO: This program is eligible for 90 Substantive minutes with the Law Society of Ontario.
  • Barreau du Québec: In our view, this session would meet the CLE requirements of the Barreau du Québec. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive a confirmation of attendance.

Accessibility

Dentons Canada LLP is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. Please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in advance of the event if you have any particular accommodation requirements. We will work with you to make appropriate arrangements.

Register Here

The Rule of Law & Combatting Systemic Discrimination: Policing, Judicial Proceedings, and Corrections

Three Part Special Series Event

The Rule of Law & Combatting Systemic Discrimination:

Policing, Judicial Proceedings, and Corrections

ICJ Canada logo removebg preview NO BACKGROUND INSTITUT DEV PROFESSIONNEL HOR COLOUR

This conference is hosted by the International Commission of Jurists Canada and its President, Professor Errol Mendes and co-sponsored by the Professional Development Institute

This three-part special series will offer high quality presentations and discussions by leading experts on the topic of Combatting Systemic Discrimination in Policing, Judicial Proceedings, and Corrections. The events will be hosted virtually by Zoom, with the meeting links sent to attendees the day prior to each event. 

Event 1: Policing Event 2: Judicial Proceedings Event 3: Corrections
When: April 9th, 2021 from 1:00 to 3:00pm ET When: April 29th, 2021 from 1:00 to 3:00pm ET When: May 17th, 2021 from 1:00 to 3:00pm ET
Host: Julianne C. Dunbar, Senior General Counsel & Director General - Military Police Complaints Commission Host: David Antonyshyn, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Host: Monette Maillet, Executive Director and General Counsel - Office of the Correctional Investigator 

Speakers:

  • Chief Peter Sloly, Ottawa Police Service
  • Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Professor, University of Toronto
  • Sunil Gurmukh, Counsel, Ontario Human Rights Commission & Adjunct Research Professor, Faculty of Law, Western University 
  • Christa Big Canoe, Legal Advocacy Director, Aboriginal Legal Services
  • Knia Singh, Principal Lawyer of Ma'at Legal Services, Toronto

 Speakers:

  • Judge Gerald Morin, Saskatchewan Provincial Court Judge, Northwest Territories and Yukon Territorial Court Judge
  • Kathleen Roussel, Director of Public Prosecutions, and Deputy Attorney General of Canada 
  • Mr. Rob Dhanu, co-founding partner, Dhanu Dhaliwal Law Group, former Crown prosecutor

 Speakers:

  • Senator Kim Pate
  • Dr. Ivan Zinger, Office of the Correctional Investigator
  • Tom Cardoso, Crime and Justice Reporter, Globe and Mail
  • Patricia Whyte, Indigenous Peer Support Worker, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
Speaker Biographies Speaker Biographies Speaker Biographies

Each event will be eligible for 2 substantive CPD hours in Ontario for a total of 6 CPD hours (for other provinces please check with your provincial law society).

Registration: Register Here

ICJ Canada members: Free with coupon code provided with confirmation of new membership or membership renewal (To become a member or renew your membership, click here).

Non-members: 

1 event: $40

2 events: $80

3 events: $100 (Includes a complimentary ICJ Canada membership for 2021)

An Evening with Ambassador Dominic Barton

An Evening with Ambassador Dominic Barton

When: Wednesday, April 8, 2020 | 6:00 p.m. 
Where: University Club, 380 University Avenue, Toronto
Cost: $275 per guests or a table of ten for $2,750

The International Commission of Jurists, Canadian Section, in collaboration with the Professional Development Institute of the University of Ottawa invites you to an evening with Dominic Barton, Canada's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China.

The dinner event will feature a talk by Ambassador Barton on Canada's Relationship with China: Promoting our Interests and Protecting our Values.

Speaker Biography

Mr. Dominic Barton was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of the China by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 4, 2019.

Prior to his nomination, Ambassador Barton was a Global Managing Partner at McKinsey & Company where he served from 2009 to 2018. Ambassador Barton also served as Chairman of Teck Resources and as Non-Executive Director at the Singtel Group in Singapore and Investor AB in Sweden. He was also a board member of the Olayan Group, a private family-owned company.

In 2016, Ambassador Barton assumed the responsibility of Chair for the Canadian Minister of Finance’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth. He was also the Chair of the Seoul International Business Advisory Council for six years prior to his nomination. Ambassador Barton also served as a Senior Trustee of the Brookings Institution, as a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board’s International Advisory Council, and as a member of the boards of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Mr. Barton is also one of the founders of Focusing Capital on the Long Term (FCLTGlobal).

In 2018, Ambassador Barton was named Chancellor of the University of Waterloo. He has also served as Co-Chair on the Max Bell School of Public Policy Advisory Board at McGill University and on the University of Toronto Psychiatry Campaign Cabinet where he engaged in volunteer support, community outreach and leadership development. In addition to these roles, Ambassador Barton served on the board of the Malala Fund, has been actively involved in the HeForShe initiative, and worked with the Mastercard Foundation to create employment in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ambassador Barton has co-authored four books, including on topics related to financial management and leadership. He is an Adjunct Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and the recipient of eight honorary doctorates, including from the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and the University of Edinburgh.

Ambassador Barton graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics and has a Master of Philosophy in Economics from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

Ambassador Barton was born in Kampala, Uganda, in September 1962. He is married and has three children.

To purchase a table of ten, please contact Marie Dickinson at 613-562-5272 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Oleh Sentsov at uOttawa

The International Commission of Justists Canada, the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) and the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa cordially invite you to an event featuring the Ukrainian filmmaker and human rights activist Oleh Sentsov.

Oleh Sentsov, an internationally known documentary film director, was an active Maidan supporter, in Kyïv and his native Simferopol, Crimea. After the annexation in 2014, he was arrested on fabricated charges of “terrorism.” In contravention of international law, he was imposed Russian citizenship and sent to Russia, where he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. His arrest, trial, and punishment in Siberian prisons drew international condemnation. Mr Sentsov was released in 2019 as part of a exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine.

The event, “A Conversation with Oleg Sentsov” will be moderated by John Packer, HRREC Director, and will feature Dominique Arel, Chair of Ukrainian Studies, and the Hon. Andriy Shevchenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada. Mr Sentsov will be speaking in Russian, with consecutive translation into English. The question period will be conducted in English and French.

The event is co-sponsored by the Canadian Section of the International Commission of Jurists and is made possible thanks to the support of the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

It will be held on Wednesday, February 5, between 2.30-4.30 PM, in the HRREC Seminar Room, in Room 570 (5th Floor) of Fauteux Hall, 57 Louis Pasteur, on University of Ottawa Campus. The campus map can be accessed at http://www.uottawa.ca/maps/. Fauteux Hall is identified on the map as “FTX” and is located between University Private and Thomas More Private.

Since seating is limited, people interested in attending are strongly encouraged to freely pre-register by sending an email to the Chair of Ukrainian Studies (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). The Human Rights Research and Education Centre can also be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

2020 Tarnopolsky Award Winner, Renu Mandhane

November 30 2019. OTTAWA. 

The International Commission of Jurists- Canada (ICJ-C) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 Walter Tarnopolsky Human Rights Award, the highest form of recognition for contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and civil liberties that can be granted by the ICJ-C. 

The Walter Tarnopolsky Award recognizes individuals in the legal community, as well as institutions and organizations, for their outstanding national contribution in the field of human rights and civil liberties. Outstanding achievement is measured by the recipients’ level of excellence and initiative, their sustained body of work, peer recognition and the recipients’ broad impact inside and outside the Canadian legal community. 

The ICJ-C is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2020 Award is the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Renu Mandhane. You can read Ms. Mandhane’s biography here. 

The recipient of the 2020 Walter Tarnopolsky Prize  will receive her Award in the form of a specially designed medal at a major event in the first part of 2020. Details of which will follow. We encourage those that have been nominated in the past to seek to be re-nominated for 2021 and beyond. Further details on the  Award and method of nomination and past recipients can be found at the ICJ-C website here.

For more information about  ICJ-C and the Walter Tarnopolsky Prize, please contact the Executive Director of ICJ Canada, Stéphanie Plante This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Professor Errol Mendes, LSM, O. Ont, FRSC

President, ICJ-C

Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa

Ottawa,Ontario

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