Verdicts & Voices
Episodes
Quebec’s secularism law gets its day in court
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When Quebec’s secularism law finally has its day at the Supreme Court next week, it will be a case for the ages. There will be dozens of interveners...
A lightning rod and a symbol of courage (from the archives)
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Corinne Sparks of Nova Scotia was Canada’s first black woman judge. She was also the object of a racial bias complaint that reached the Supreme Cour...
Jordan turns ten
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 2016, when the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in R. v. Jordan, it called out a “culture of complacency” toward delays in Canadian c...
From law to order
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Cops and lawyers are famously “separate but equally important groups” within the criminal justice system. Police officers often encounter the prac...
Frenemies of the court
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On November 21, 2025, a Divisional Court judge ruled that the Black Legal Action Centre could intervene in a case before the Human Rights Tribunal of ...
Who needs international law?
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a rocky twelve months for the idea that countries’ actions should be governed by rules. Does that mean international law is dead? Was it...
Supreme Court preview with Nadia Effendi
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Canada’s Supreme Court will have a lot on its docket in the coming months, and friend of the pod Nadia Effendi is back to talk us through it. Among ...
Season’s Readings!
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It was a long year, but you made it! Time to put on your fuzzy socks, curl up with some cocoa, and dig into a good book. We’ve assembled an elite Ca...
Plain language (or, Eschewing unnecessary obfuscation in juridical discourse)
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why can’t lawyers and judges just say what they mean? Legal documents – statutes, contracts, court decisions – are infamous for being dense and ...
“So fundamentally wrong”: Alexandre Forest and Stéphane Beaulac on Quebec’s constitution bill
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the coming days, Quebec’s National Assembly will hear testimony about a proposed new provincial constitution, known as Bill 1. Alexandre Forest, ...
Expanding notwithstanding rebranding? (from the archives)
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The taboo once associated with Section 33 (the notwithstanding clause) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms seems to be fading. In recent mo...
Bye-bye to the bar exam? Jennifer Pink and Jordan Furlong
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Passing the bar exam has long been accepted as a natural step for new lawyers. But in Canada, that seems to be changing. The Practice Readiness Educat...
A chat with Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
NYU professor Margaret Satterthwaite has been monitoring threats to the rule of law on behalf of the UN Human Rights Council since 2022. She has seen ...
Artificial intelligence, genuine bias: law professors Gideon Christian and Jake Effoduh
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When the Government of Canada launched its AI Strategy Task Force on September 26, 2025, Dr. Gideon Christian noticed a significant omission: Black pe...
Do we need a bail bill? Melanie Webb and Daniel Lerner react to Bill C-14
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On October 23, 2025, Canadian Justice Minister Sean Fraser introduced Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act. The legislation notably aims to m...
The sisterhood of “gender sellouts” in criminal law: Anita Szigeti, Hamna Anwar and Kyla Lee
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a panel discussion with Anita Szigeti of Anita Szigeti Advocates, a Toronto firm that focuses on mental health and the law; Hamna Anwa...
Supreme Court fall preview with Nadia Effendi
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawfor...
Justice by the numbers: Hon. David Brown on delays, data, and thumping the drum
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawfor...
“One day, she just had enough”: Karin Wells on the women behind landmark cases in Canadian law
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawfor...
Verdicts and Voices: David Frum on the rule of law, asylum systems, and why Canada is global democracy’s “least dirty shirt”
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we unpack key legal stories and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of ...
Verdicts and Voices: Canada’s first Black female judge and the RDS Case, lawyers getting laughs, and the Safe Third Country Agreement.
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we unpack key legal stories and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of ...
Verdicts and Voices: Bill C-2, Indigenous legal practices, and Dagenais v CBC
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we unpack key legal stories and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of ...
Verdicts and Voices: A troubling trademark scam, AI hallucination cases and the 1998 Secession Reference
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we unpack key legal stories and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of ...
Verdicts and Voices: The Ontario Civil Rules Review, crossing the US-Canada border, and landmark immigration cases
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we unpack key legal stories and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of ...
Verdicts and Voices: The 2025 Federal Election
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we delve into legal news, landmark cases and feature expert guests who provide unique in...
Verdicts and Voices: The international rule of law, tax reform, and access to abortion
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we unpack key legal stories and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of ...
Verdicts and Voices: The use of AI at the Federal Court, the tort of family violence, and R v. Drybones
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we unpack key legal stories and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of ...
Verdicts and Voices: The notwithstanding clause, Gold Seal v. Alberta and a conversation with Chief Justice Richard Wagner
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Modern Law: Verdicts and Voices is a monthly podcast in which we unpack key legal stories and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of ...
Episode 37: Supreme court briefing
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nadia Effendi joins us again to review the output of the Supreme Court last year, shares her thoughts regarding Chief Justice Richard Wagner’s rec...
Episode 36: Dr. Anton Korynevych on the effort to create a Special Tribunal on Crimes of Aggression Against Ukraine.
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine hits the two-year mark – 10 years since the invasion of the Crimean Peninsula – the situation is dire...
Episode 35: Justice Minister Arif Virani on criminal law reform, expanding MAiD and the state of our courts
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today is Arif Virani, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada who has kindly agreed to share with our listeners the status of...
Episode 34: Amanda Chaboryk and Alex Hawley on how to use AI in a legal practice
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the field of law, there are several crucial areas where generative AI demonstrates considerable promise – namely in the efficiencies it can creat...
Episode 33: Woodrow Hartzog on the dangers of regulating AI with half measures
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've been talking a lot about AI on the podcast and on CBA National, and one of the issues that keeps coming up is the challenge for a country like C...
Episode 32: Dr. Carys Craig on generative AI and the dangers of the copyright trap
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the significant controversies about AI is the impact of generative software on the use and production of cultural works. The fast-growing popul...
Episode 31: Supreme court briefing
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Moreau of Alberta has been tapped to fill the vacancy left by Russel Brown on the Supreme Court. Nadia Effendi gives us some background...
Episode 30: Benjamin Perrin puts Canada’s criminal justice system on trial
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you think that description of our criminal justice system is a bit harsh, well, you should read the latest book by our guest today. Benjamin Perri...
Episode 29: Kristen van de Biezenbos on Canada’s complicated path to decarbonization
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kristen van de Biezenbos, a law professor at California Western, teaches environmental, energy and climate change law and has written extensively abou...
Episode 28: Jordan Furlong discusses what generative AI means for the profession
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jordan Furlong is an analyst and forecaster for the legal sector, focused on the most important trends shaping the provision of legal services and t...
Episode 27: Supreme court briefing
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy catches up again with Nadia Effendi of BLG to brief us on the latest at the Supreme Court of Canada. Effendi is a partner at BLG, based out...
Episode 26: Defamation law in the age of (mis)information
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Justin Safayeni, partner at Stockwoods LLP, about defamation law, anti-SLAPP legislation, and their effects on freedom of exp...
Episode 25: Lisa Middlemiss on Canada’s ambitious immigration target
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2022, Canada experienced a major milestone as it welcomed over 437,000 immigrants, leading to annual population growth of over one million for the ...
Épisode 24: La prise de décision automatisée en droit administratif
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
L'intelligence artificielle représente une avancée technologique majeure et transformationnelle. Alors que les voix s’élèvent pour réclamer une...
Episode 23: Guy Pratte and the Art of Persuasion
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To most legal professionals, Guy Pratte doesn't need an introduction. He is a senior counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, a highly sought-after lawye...
Episode 22: The Charter’s strange history with gender equality rights
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with UNB associate law professor Kerri A. Froc about gender equality rights, the notwithstanding clause and why the Supreme Court’...
Episode 21: Supreme court briefing
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Yves Faguy catches up again with Nadia Effendi of BLG to brief us on the latest at the Supreme Court of Canada. Effendi is a partner ...
Episode 20: It’ll take more than hard drug decriminalization to beat the overdose crisis
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Vancouver lawyer and advocate Rob Laurie about B.C.'s decriminalization pilot and what governments need to do for it to succeed...
Épisode 19: Comment la loi peut contrer les risques de l’intelligence artificielle
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Notre invitée est Céline Castets-Renard, chercheure régulière au Centre de recherche en droit, technologie et société de l’Université d’...
Episode 18: A personal story about alcohol and substance abuse in the legal profession
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In October, CBA National reported on findings from a recent national study, spearheaded by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the CBA, th...
Episode 17: Everything, everywhere all at once: Challenges for the legal profession ahead
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with legal sector analyst Jordan Furlong, author of Law21.ca, about the multiplying disruptions facing the legal profession all at o...
Episode 16: Competition law and inclusive growth
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with economist Robin Shaban, founder of Vivic Research about competition law and why reforms should aim to make it more growth inclu...
Episode 15: Supreme court briefing
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 15: Supreme Court briefing In this episode, Yves Faguy speaks with Nadia Effendi of BLG to brief us on the latest at the Supreme Court of Can...
Episode 14: Reviving Indigenous law as a source of Canadian law
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with law professor Tuma Young, KC, of Cape Breton University about the revitalization of Indigenous legal orders and what it means t...
Episode 13: Transforming our courts using technology
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Karen Eltis of the University of Ottawa about our courts’ modernization efforts and the challenges ahead. Professor Eltis is...
Episode 12: Supreme Court briefing
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 12: Supreme Court briefing In this episode, Yves Faguy speaks with Nadia Effendi of BLG to brief us on the latest at the Supreme Court of Can...
Episode 11: Designing a privacy regime for the age of AI
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim about aligning our values as a society with laws governing pr...
Episode 10: Our Property Rights, Digital Jail, and the Charter
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Malcolm Lavoie of the University of Alberta and an associate counsel at Miller Thomson about our property rights in an increasi...
Episode 9: Fitness for Purpose: IP Laws
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Wissam Aoun about our IP laws and their fitness for purpose in the digital era. Aoun is the Acting Associate Dean at Windsor La...
Episode 8: Technology and the Charter’s future
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Lex Gill of the Citizen Lab and a lawyer at Trudel Johnston & Lespérance in Montreal about how emerging technologies are mak...
Épisode 7: Gouvernance et protection de nos droits à l’ère numérique
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy reçoit Maroussia Lévesque, du centre Berkman Klein à l'Université Harvard, pour discuter de l’effet des technologies numériques sur ...
Episode 6: Competition law and the digital economy
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Jennifer Quaid, an associate professor and vice-dean of research in the Civil Law Section at the University of Ottawa, about re...
Episode 5: Law’s place in the metaverse
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Toufic Adlouni, the co-founder and managing director of Renno & Co, a Montreal-based law firm focussed on emerging technology a...
Episode 4: How technology could reshape litigation
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Amanda Chaboryk, the Disputes and Litigation Data Lead at Norton Rose Fulbright’s London office about the evolving use of te...
Épisode 3: Comment se préparer pour l’ère de l’informatique quantique
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dans cet épisode Yves Faguy reçoit Florian Martin-Bariteau, de l’Université d’Ottawa, pour parler d’une nouvelle technologie qui risque d’...
Episode 2: The perils of lawyers handling digital assets
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yves Faguy speaks with Geoff Costeloe of Lindsey MacCarthy LLP in Vancouver, whose legal practice focuses on estate planning and administration with a...
Episode 1: Fighting disinformation by legal means
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode of a new “Modern Law” series, Yves Faguy speaks with Ève Gaumond, an affiliate to Quebec's Observatory on the Societal Im...