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Crime and the Law: The Future of Justice in Canada

Published: 1 March 2012

McGill Institute for the Study of Canada’s annual conference to focus on crime, policing and justice

From the introduction of the federal government’s omnibus crime bill to the rise of new forms of urban political and social protest, policing and justice are at the center of public attention. The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC) will examine crime, policing and justice at its annual conference, Crime and the Law: The Future of Justice in Canada. The two day event will be held at the McGill Faculty Club, 3450 McTavish St., Montreal on March 15-16, 2012.

“Crime is a big issue and involves dozens of different professions. Everyone has a stake in this kind of debate. For example, in the last couple of years, we have witnessed the rise of the Occupy movement, riots around the G20 summit or the Stanley Cup finals. Such events have raised questions about the role of police in Canadian life and larger issues of crime, justice and policing,” says Prof. Will Straw, Director of MISC. “We need to ask ourselves: ’What kind of justice do we want as Canadians?’”

Leading figures from different fields will tackle a range of questions surrounding crime and justice in Canada. Keynote speakers include The Honourable Jean-Marc Fournier, Quebec Minister of Justice, who will talk about the impact of the federal government’s omnibus crime bill on Quebec, and The Honourable Rob Nicholson (by video), Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

Plenary sessions and other speakers include:

Who Polices the Police?: speakers include Jacques Duchesneau, Former head of Quebec’s Anti-Collusion Unit and former Chief of Police of the Montreal Urban Community Police Service; Nathalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel of Canadian Civil Liberties Association; and Dale McFee, President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police

Violent Protests – Who’s to Blame?: speakers include activist at the last G20 summit Alex Hundert and Judy Rebick, Former Canadian Auto Workers-Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at Ryerson University

Crime Reporting: speakers include journalists Yves Boisvert, columnist at La Presse and Marie-Maude Denis of the program Enquête, Radio-Canada.

Sentencing and Imprisonment: speakers include Michael Jackson, University of British Columbia Law Professor and Aboriginal Rights Advocate and Howard Sapers, Correctional Investigator of Canada.

For more details and the full program of the conference, visit the conference website: https://www.mcgill.ca/misc/conferences/crime-2012/programme

Since 1995, the MISC has hosted large-scale annual conferences which foster informed, non-partisan discussions of issues affecting Canadians, ranging from Quebec-Canada relations, Aboriginal issues, citizenship and health-care to Canadian media, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, food, and cultural policy.

More news from McGill University: https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/

 

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