All lectures will be presented in English.
Registration and refreshements start at 18:00.
Lectures begin at 18:30.
October 13, 2011, 18:30-20:00
Unmarried Couples and Family Law
Panelists: Professor Robert Leckey, Me Violaine Lemay, Alexander Steinhouse
Moderator: Professor Johanna Ransmeier
(see all bios)
High-profile litigation between a Quebec entrepreneur and his former partner have made headlines. But the question of how the law does and should treat unmarried cohabitation was already a pressing issue. Quebec family law recognizes unmarried cohabitants far less than does law in every other province, while the province has the highest cohabitation rates in the world. This panel will explore legal, moral, and practical matters around these issues.
October 20, 2011, 18:30-20:00
Access to Medicines: The Crisis Continues
Panelists: Professor Richard Gold, oline Twiss and Dr Rachel Kiddell-Monroe
Moderator: Professor Richard Cruess
(see all bios)
Despite great improvements in providing access to needed medications in the developing world, the rate of increase in new HIV/AIDS infections outstrips increases in drug coverage 2 to 1. Canada has adopted its Canadian Access to Medicines Regime, but most commentators recognize that this has been a failure. This panel will examine what is needed to address the problem of access while ensuring ongoing pharmaceutical innovation?
October 27, 2011, 18:30-20:00
Should We Obey the Law?
Panelists: Professor Stephen Smith, Jaggi Singh and Catherine Gleason-Mercier
Moderator: Professor Morton Weinfeld
(see all bios)
This lecture will explore whether citizens have a moral obligation to obey the law. Examples will range from jaywalking to those involving more serious life choices such as the use of illicit drugs or engaging in acts of civil disobedience. Further, it is hoped that some light might be thrown on the subject by comparing legal authority to the authority that parents purport to have over their children or the authority that coaches purport to have over their athletes.
November 3, 2011, 18:30-20:00
The End of the Artist: Copyright Law and the Internet
Panelists: Professor Tina Piper, Noelle Sorbara, and Remy Khouzam.
Moderator: Professor Will Straw
(see all bios)
In the past, copyright law enabled artists, particularly musicians, to make money from their craft. The internet, electronic music files, downloading, new technologies, file-sharing, and the collapse of many of the traditional gatekeepers have thrown this model into disarray, prompting the Canadian government to unsuccessfully attempt to reform Canadian copyright law three times in the last five years. This panel will consider whether the changes brought about by the internet and new technologies mean the end of copyright law and the artist, and how each may respond and evolve.
