The McGill Law Journal Podcast

The former federal government has been criticized for allegedly picking judges based on political considerations and in a non-transparent manner. In the second part of a two-part episode on the federal judicial appointment process, we look into whether the current process needs to be reformed and, if it does, how. We speak with Leonid Sirota, J.S.D. Candidate at the New York University School of Law and Professor Rosemary Cairns Way from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law.

La loi 15 sur la réforme des régimes de retraite municipaux représente-elle une façon légitime pour le gouvernement de mieux gérer les fonds publics ou est-elle une mesure inconstitutionnelle qui vient brimer le droit d'association des travailleurs municipaux? Dans cet épisode, nous discutons avec Serge Cadieux, secrétaire du conseil et secrétaire général de la FTQ, et Frédéric Massé, associé chez Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, des circonstances qui ont mené à l'adoption de cette loi controversée, ainsi que du débat entourant sa constitutionalité.

Is Bill 15, a law instituting the reform of municipal pension plans throughout Québec, a legitimate way for the government to rein in public spending or does it represent an unconstitutional encroachment on the freedom of association of municipal workers? In this episode, we speak with Serge Cadieux, Secretary of the Board and Secretary General of the FTQ and Frédéric Massé, Partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP about the causes that led to the adoption of this controversial law and the debate surrounding its constitutionality.

Has Canada achieved the right balance between protecting the state’s national security interest and respecting the legitimate privacy expectations of Canadians? In this episode, we speak with Professor Vincent Gautrais (Université de Montréal) and Éloïse Gratton, a partner and co-Chair of the Privacy Practice Group at McMillan LLP, about state surveillance in Canada and its impact on the right to privacy.

Le Canada a-t-il atteint le juste équilibre entre les intérêts gouvernementaux dans la protection de la sécurité nationale et les attentes des Canadiens en matière de vie privée ? Dans cet épisode, nous rencontrons le professeur Vincent Gautrais de l’Université de Montréal et Me Éloïse Gratton, co-présidente du groupe en protection de la vie privée au cabinet d’avocats McMillan, afin de discuter de la surveillance étatique et de ses impacts sur le droit à la vie privée.

Edward Snowden. Chelsea Manning. Julian Assange. While divisive figures such as these have dominated news cycles and been the subject of fierce debate throughout the last decade, whistleblowing is neither a new phenomenon nor one that is strictly American. Who are some key Canadian whistleblowers? How might the law protect those who disclose? And what is the role of hacking in whistleblowing and what are the effects? Yuan Stevens and Doron Lurie spoke with Prof. Gabriella Coleman to answer these questions and more. Music in this episode: "The Collector" and "Night Owl" by Broke for Free, "Candlepower", "Readers! Do You Read?", and "We Always Thought the Future Would Be Kind of Fun" by Chris Zabriskie, "hydroscope" by Gallery Six, "In the Streets" by Indian Wells, "Chantiers Navals 412" by LJ Kruzer, and "Lips" by Plurabelle.

In this this two-part epsiode, we hear from McGill Law graduates whose unconventional careers challenge the typical image of what it means to be a lawyer or have a law degree. Our guests for part two are Aaron Wenner and Geeva Samynathan, both law graduates who decided to pursue entrepreneurial careers.

Aaron is co-founder and CEO of CiteRight, a Toronto-based legal-tech start-up that helps coordinate legal research and drafting. Geeva runs a consultancy company, ECTAA, that provides guidance in management, environmental consulting, and corporate training.