The Syrian Crisis The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has recognized the Syrian refugee crisis as the world’s single largest refugee crisis for almost a quarter of a century under its mandate. As of March 2017, the UNHCR reports that 6.3 million Syrians have fled their homes and … [Read more...]
Understanding Diversity in the Current Context of the Law and Legal Profession
Canada is a country which represents the very meaning of “diversity”. From beginnings which involved mainly three generalized groups (aboriginals, French and English) we have evolved to become one of the most diverse societies on the planet. Now, in virtually every community in the country, from the … [Read more...]
Indigenous Public Legal Education—PLE from an Interconnected Worldview
What does it mean to practice Public Legal Education (PLE) from an Indigenous, interconnected worldview? This is the goal of BearPaw Legal Education (BPLE) in the development, distribution and evaluation of PLE for Indigenous peoples throughout Alberta. BPLE is a department of Native Counselling … [Read more...]
Understanding the Connections Between International Law and Canadian Criminal Law
Criminal law usually addresses only incidents and issues arising within our borders, between persons in Canada. However, especially in today’s global world, there are a number of ways in which Canada’s position internationally – including treaties and agreements made with other countries and … [Read more...]
Tax Treaties
The Canadian income tax system can be complex by itself. The complexities expand significantly where the tax systems of other countries are also relevant. Most nations have a network of “Income Tax Conventions”, more often referred to as “Tax Treaties”, to govern the interaction of their tax … [Read more...]
NAFTA in a Nutshell
NAFTA. It’s one of the most important agreements in place on the continent. But what’s all the fuss about and why has it become such a buzzword? Since 2016, US President Donald Trump has brought it up regularly, calling for a complete overhaul of the deal, arguing that it’s the “worst trade deal … [Read more...]
Dealing with US Debts in a Canadian Bankruptcy
Given the many Canadians who have business, assets, work or winter in the United States (“US”), it is not uncommon for someone in Canada to owe money to a US lender. If you went to school in the US, you may even have US student debt. How US debts are treated in a bankruptcy if you cannot repay those … [Read more...]
Why the UN’s declaration on Indigenous rights has been slow to implement in Canada
While a decision on Indigenous participation at the United Nations General Assembly was postponed in Geneva [in July 2017] , some groups in Canada point to a number of ways to move forward on the issue at home. Independent Indigenous participation at the United Nations General Assembly — a critical … [Read more...]
Low Income Ontarians More Prone to Debt Problems (Ontario Study)
Over the last two decades, precarious or insecure employment in Canada has increased by almost 50%, as 1 in 7 Canadians lives in poverty. Part-time work is becoming more common. Wages are not increasing fast enough to keep up with rising costs, resulting in higher personal debt levels. All of this … [Read more...]
Charter of Rights and Homeless Persons
Many Canadians are living in poverty, and people from certain groups are overrepresented in those who are suffering poverty’s adverse effects, no matter how we measure or define “poverty”. For example, a 2015 study by the Edmonton Social Planning Council revealed troublesome statistics: one in … [Read more...]