Friday, June 15, 2012
12:00 noon to 1:30 pm.
Barristers’ Lounge
Courthouse Library
Victoria, BC
Event co-sponsored by LRWC and International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
What does the newly adopted UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training mean for the legal profession in Canada?
Catherine Morris will present findings of LRWC’s report, The Right to Know Our Rights, which reviews Canada’s – and BC’s — international law obligations to provide international human rights education and training. The report also surveys the availability of international human rights education in BC. CPD credits available for BC Lawyers.
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See more detail about the presentation:
International human rights is increasingly recognized as highly relevant to the work of Canadian lawyers. It is largely up to lawyers to advocate that Canadian courts interpret laws in accordance with Canada’s human rights treaty obligations. Lawyers also have key roles in advocating for law and policy reform that meets international human rights standards. Knowledge of international human rights is also vital for Canadian lawyers wishing to understand and engage in human rights issues in other countries.
The education of lawyers and judges is one of the topics in “The Right to Know Our Rights,” a report recently drafted by Catherine Morris on the international law obligations of Canada — including BC — to provide international human rights education and training. The report also surveys the availability of international human rights education in BC for the public, civil servants, police and the legal profession. Catherine Morris will present the key findings of the report, which concludes that BC fails to live up to its obligations under international human rights treaties in force in Canada. The report provides several recommendations, including for governments, the legal profession and civil society organizations. The report was prepared for LRWC with funding from the Law Foundation of BC. This event is co-sponsored by LRWC and ICJ.
John Waddell and Catherine Morris will also make brief presentations about work of LRWC and ICJ in international human rights, including opportunities for involvement of Victoria lawyers. Catherine Morris is LRWC’s monitor for Thailand and Cambodia and a member of ICJ. She teaches international human rights at the UVic Faculty of Law. John Waddell, a litigator in Victoria whose public law work includes elections, policing and consumer protection. He is a member of the Board of Directors of ICJ.
