International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters (Overview)

The Elgar Encyclopedia of Crime and Criminal Justice stands apart as the most comprehensive global reference title in its field.Featuring the work of over 200 scholars and practitioners from around the world, the Encyclopedia presents an accessible and uniquely far-reaching set of entries on topics associated with crime and criminal justice. Within this flagship work, the incredible breadth and depth of the field is captured by a diverse and international range of contributors.The Encyclopedia is curated by a team of globally renowned scholars and is ambitious in its scope – comprising thematic, regional and comparative coverage with an emphasis on international and European criminal law. Entries give a concise summary of the accumulated knowledge on their topic, followed by a list of references to facilitate further study.• Over 250 entries• Entries organized alphabetically for ease of navigation• Fully cross-referenced• Entries written by scholars and practitioners from around the world• World class editorial team.The Encyclopedia will be available online ahead of print, followed by a multi-volume print edition

Aducanumab, Accelerated Approvals & the Agency: Why the FDA Needs Structural Reform

The US Food and Drug Administration’s controversial decision to grant accelerated approval to aducanumab (Aduhelm), a therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, has motivated multiple policy reforms. Drawing upon a case series of other drugs granted accelerated approval and interviews of senior FDA officials, I argue that reform should be informed but not defined by aducanumab. Rather, structural reforms are needed to reshape FDA’s core priorities and restore the regulatory system’s commitment to scientific rigor

Legal Hurdles and Pathways: The Evolution (Progress?) of Climate Change Adjudication in Canada

Citizens, civil society, and environmental organisations throughout the world are increasingly turning to courts to find solutions to the perils of climate change. In July 2023, the United Nations Environment Programme (“UNEP”) reported that as of November 2022, there were 2,180 climate change litigation cases underway throughout the world, that this number is 2.5 times higher than it was five years ago, and that the number of jurisdictions involved has grown from 24 in 2017, to 39 in 2020, to 65 in 2023. The authors of this report describe climate litigation as “a frontier solution to change the dynamics of what the UN Secretary-General has described as ‘the fight of our lives.’” In both its 2020 and its 2023 reports, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”) concludes that “litigation is central to efforts to compel governments and corporate actors to undertake more ambitious climate change mitigation and adaptation goals

Canada

The Elgar Encyclopedia of Crime and Criminal Justice stands apart as the most comprehensive global reference title in its field.Featuring the work of over 200 scholars and practitioners from around the world, the Encyclopedia presents an accessible and uniquely far-reaching set of entries on topics associated with crime and criminal justice. Within this flagship work, the incredible breadth and depth of the field is captured by a diverse and international range of contributors.The Encyclopedia is curated by a team of globally renowned scholars and is ambitious in its scope – comprising thematic, regional and comparative coverage with an emphasis on international and European criminal law. Entries give a concise summary of the accumulated knowledge on their topic, followed by a list of references to facilitate further study.• Over 250 entries• Entries organized alphabetically for ease of navigation• Fully cross-referenced• Entries written by scholars and practitioners from around the world• World class editorial team.The Encyclopedia will be available online ahead of print, followed by a multi-volume print edition

Beneficial Interests Under the Chattels Real Act

This paper examines the Chattels Real Act of Newfoundland and Labrador and the strict treatment of property interests thereunder. Historical treatment of property interests under the Act had been pragmatic and flexible, however later jurisprudence took a stricter interpretation and restricted the interpretation of beneficial interest under the Act. The author suggests that a review of first principles and jurisprudence supports a broader interpretation of property interests under the Act, which should be followed for the better administration of justice and practical expectations of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Cet article examine la Chattels Real Act de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador et le traitement strict des droits de propriété qu’elle prévoit. Le traitement historique des intérêts de propriété en vertu de la loi a été pragmatique et flexible, mais la jurisprudence ultérieure a adopté une interprétation plus stricte et a restreint l’interprétation de l’intérêt bénéficiaire en vertu de la loi. L’auteur suggère qu’un examen des premiers principes et de la jurisprudence soutient une interprétation plus large des droits de propriété en vertu de la loi, qui devrait être suivie pour une meilleure administration de la justice et des attentes pratiques de la population de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador

A Legal History of the Regulation of Assault-Style Rifles in Canada

This article provides the first legal history of the regulation of “assault-style” weapons in Canada. A contentious part of Canada’s gun control regime is the firearms classification system that divides guns into non-restricted, restricted, and prohibited firearms. The sale of semi-automatic firearms, often based on military designs that could be quickly fired and reloaded, sparked concerns since the 1970s, particularly after mass shooting events. Canada adopted a classification regime relying on both statutory provisions that used technical details of firearms and Orders-in-Council to name models of firearms as restricted or prohibited weapons. Critics warned that this system allowed private citizens to possess firearm models that can cause substantial harms. This article describes key changes in firearms technology, discusses the legal and criminal uses of assault-style firearms, explores the history of public concern with such guns, and then surveys the development of Canada’s gun control regime. Finally, it considers proposals for future policy options regarding the availability of assault-style weapons. Cet article présente la première histoire juridique de la réglementation des armes de type d’« assaut » au Canada. Le système de classification des armes à feu, qui divise les armes en armes à feu sans restriction, armes à feu à autorisation restreinte et armes à feu prohibées, est un élément controversé du régime canadien de contrôle des armes à feu. La vente d’armes à feu semi-automatiques, souvent de conception militaire, pouvant être tirées et rechargées rapidement, a suscité des inquiétudes depuis les années 1970, en particulier après des fusillades de masse. Le Canada a adopté un régime de classification reposant à la fois sur des dispositions légales qui utilisent les détails techniques des armes à feu et sur des décrets qui désignent des modèles d’armes à feu comme étant des armes à autorisation restreinte ou des armes prohibées. Les critiques ont mis en garde contre le fait que ce système permettait aux particuliers de posséder des modèles d’armes à feu susceptibles de causer des dommages importants. Cet article décrit les principaux changements intervenus dans la technologie des armes à feu, aborde les utilisations légales et criminelles des armes à feu d’assaut, explore l’histoire des préoccupations du public à l’égard de ces armes, puis passe en revue l’évolution du régime de contrôle des armes à feu au Canada. Enfin, il examine les propositions d’options politiques futures concernant la disponibilité des armes d’assaut

Conditions of Confinement in Nova Scotia Jails Designated for Men: East Coast Prison Justice Society Visiting Committee Annual Report 2021-2022

This is the second Annual Report of the East Coast Prison Justice Society (“ECPJS”) Visiting Committee (“VC”). The purpose of the ECPJS VC is to bring increased accountability and transparency to the Nova Scotia correctional system in light of human rights standards, domestic and international. While the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia provides human rights monitoring of conditions of incarceration experienced by women and non-binary people in federal prisons and provincial jails in the Atlantic region, and the federal Office of Correctional Investigator provides further oversight of conditions in federal prisons, there is no comparable independent oversight of provincial correctional facilities, specifically the units reserved for men.1 The VC initiative, launched in 2020, represents our effort to fill this gap. The core of the VC’s work involves engaging with prisoners in men’s units of Nova Scotia’s provincial correctional facilities to identify systemic concerns about conditions of confinement and then bringing these concerns to the attention of jail administration and the public, with the hope of producing systemic change. We also provide individualized non-legal advocacy, working with prisoners and correctional staff to resolve individual problems. Finally, we work actively with other organizations in the region to increase opportunities for incarcerated people to access legal advocacy in matters relating to conditions of confinement (e.g., solitary confinement) and other human rights while incarcerated. This is an ongoing challenge, as there is little publicly funded legal assistance available for prison law matters in Nova Scotia or the Atlantic region more broadly

Anchoring Lifeline Criminal Jurisprudence: Making the Leap from Theory to Critical Race-Inspired Jurisprudence

This article takes as a starting point the claim that anti-Black racism permeates Canadian society and finds expression in our institutions, most notably the criminal justice system. Indeed, anti-Black racism in criminal justice and its impact on Black lives are not credibly in dispute. Thus, what should concern legal scholars is the staying power or permanence of racism. In other words, should Canadian legal scholars ‘get real’ about the intractability of race? Or can anti-Black racism be effectively confronted by developing legal and evidentiary tools designed to fix, rather than dismantle, the current system? Put another way, this article aims to move from describing a well-known phenomenon—the existence of anti-Black racism in the criminal justice system—to identifying radical approaches to confront and subvert it. In that vein, this article will explore a critical question: how can we make the leap from CRT to CRT-inspired, lifeline criminal jurisprudence? Cet article prend comme point de départ l’affirmation selon laquelle le racisme anti-Noir imprègne la société canadienne et trouve son expression dans nos institutions, plus particulièrement dans le système de justice pénale. En effet, le racisme anti-Noir dans la justice pénale et son impact sur la vie des Noirs ne sont pas contestés de manière crédible. Par conséquent, ce qui devrait préoccuper les juristes, c’est le caractère durable ou permanent du racisme. En d’autres termes, les juristes canadiens doivent-ils se rendre à l’évidence que la race est un problème insoluble? Ou bien peut-on lutter efficacement contre le racisme anti-Noir en élaborant des outils juridiques et probatoires conçus pour réparer, plutôt que démanteler, le système actuel? En d’autres termes, cet article vise à passer de la description d’un phénomène bien connu—l’existence du racisme anti-Noir dans le système de justice pénale—à l’identification d’approches radicales pour le combattre et le subvertir. Dans cette veine, cet article explorera une question critique : comment faire le saut de la TRC à une jurisprudence pénale inspirée de la TRC, qui soit une ligne de vie

A Historical Account of the Orderly Payment of Debts Act Reference: Limiting Provincial Efforts to Protect Insolvent Debtors

This paper analyzes the history of the Alberta Orderly Payment of Debts Act and the constitutional controversy that followed. The legislation sought to protect debtors by imposing restrictions on creditors. In 1960, the Supreme Court of Canada in Reference re Validity of Orderly Payment of Debts Act, 1959 (Alberta) ruled that the legislation was ultra vires on the basis that it interfered with the federal bankruptcy and insolvency power. The Orderly Payment of Debts Act reference is the capstone in a trilogy of cases in which provincial legislation was invalidated for encroaching upon the federal bankruptcy and insolvency power. The reference case represents a high-water mark for the expansion of the federal bankruptcy power and a curtailment of provincial authority to assist insolvent debtors. The paper argues that the OPDA reference is a landmark case in that it continued a trend of limiting provincial efforts to assist insolvent debtors by giving a broad reading of the federal bankruptcy and insolvency power. Cet article analyse l’historique de la Alberta Orderly Payment of Debts Act (Loi albertaine sur le paiement ordonné des dettes) et la controverse constitutionnelle qui s’en est suivie. Cette loi visait à protéger les débiteurs en imposant des restrictions aux créanciers. En 1960, la Cour suprême du Canada, dans l’affaire Reference re Validity of Orderly Payment of Debts Act, 1959 (Alberta), a jugé que la loi était ultra vires au motif qu’elle interférait avec le pouvoir fédéral en matière de faillite et d’insolvabilité. La référence à l’Orderly Payment of Debts Act est la pierre angulaire d’une trilogie d’affaires dans lesquelles la législation provinciale a été invalidée pour avoir empiété sur le pouvoir fédéral en matière de faillite et d’insolvabilité. L’affaire représente un point culminant pour l’expansion du pouvoir fédéral en matière de faillite et une réduction de l’autorité provinciale pour aider les débiteurs insolvables. L’article soutient que l’arrêt OPDA est un arrêt de principe dans la mesure où il a poursuivi la tendance à limiter les efforts des provinces pour aider les débiteurs insolvables en donnant une interprétation large du pouvoir fédéral en matière de faillite et d’insolvabilité

Guiding Principle 11: The Responsibility of Business Enterprises to Respect Human Rights

This comprehensive Commentary provides an in-depth analysis of each of the 31 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as well as the 10 Principles for Responsible Contracts. It engages in both a legal and contextual examination of the Principles alongside their application to real world practices at both the domestic and international levels.Key Features:• One of the first detailed considerations of each of the Principles for Responsible Contracts• Contributions from more than 40 leading international academics and practitioners in the field• Discussion of legal and regulatory instruments as well as case law emanating from the Principles• Offers information on interpreting, analyzing, and using the UNGPs and the Principles for Responsible Contracts in a centralized accessible format.Practitioners, including government officials, who are responsible for corporate governance and human rights issues will find this Commentary invaluable for its systematic analysis of the obligations of both States and corporations. It will also be of interest to academics and those working for NGOs in the area of business and human rights, as well as businesses themselves looking to incorporate sustainability initiatives into their corporate practices