Conference to analyze Supreme Court’s 2005 constitutional decisions

About 150 lawyers are expected to attend York’s ninth annual Constitutional Cases conference April 28 to hear Canada’s leading scholars and practitioners of constitutional law analyze what the Supreme Court said in 2005 and how it will play out.


Left: Supreme Court of Canada



Considered the leading national forum for analysis of the Supreme Court of Canada’s constitutional decisions, the one-day conference organized by the Osgoode Professional Development Program offers lawyers a chance to get thoroughly up-to-date on developments that will resonate through all levels of Canadian courts.


Some of the topics to be discussed at the conference, co-chaired by Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Patrick Monahan and Professors Jamie Cameron and Bruce Ryder, will include:



  • The most significant 2005 Supreme Court of Canada’s constitutional decisions and their implications
  • Section 7 of the Charter: From “Motor Vehicle Reference” to “Chaoulli”
  • New developments in federalism
  • Key decisions in criminal law and procedure
  • The evolution of aboriginal rights
  • Section 1 of the “Charter: Oakes at 20”

Justice Robert G. Richards of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal will deliver the luncheon address on the topic, “Advocacy in Constitutional Cases: If I had known then what I know now.”


The conference is organized by the Osgoode Professional Development Program, which offers part-time master’s programs and continuing legal education courses. Advanced registration is required. Visit the Osgoode Professional Development Program Web site for more information.


The conference takes place Friday, April 28, from 9am to 5pm at the Conference Centre, 89 Chestnut Street, located just north of Toronto City Hall.