Common law - Publications // Common Law - Publications

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Mindful of Machines: Mental Health AI, Rights, and the Role for Law
(2025-08-27) Nunnelley, Sophie; Abbott, Maureen; Cartagena, Rosario; Chandler, Jennifer; Costa, Lucy; Effoduh, Jake Okechukwu; Flood, Colleen M.; Gruben, Vanessa; Kaminsky, Zachary; Maslej, Marta; Pavlović, Marina; Scassa, Teresa; Shelat, Akanksha; Stedman, Ian; Terwilliger, Paul; Williams, Monnica
The “Mindful of Machines: Mental Health AI, Rights, and the Role for Law” workshop, held at the University of Ottawa on February 23, 2024, brought together 36 interdisciplinary participants to examine whether Canada’s legal frameworks adequately ensure compassionate, rights-compliant mental health AI. The workshop included individuals with lived experience, healthcare professionals, AI researchers and developers, legal scholars, policymakers, and regulators, all focused on a central premise: strong legal frameworks must support service users’ dignity, equality, and autonomy. Participants heard expert presentations on key legal issues, engaged in vigorous discussion, and reflected on four questions: (1) What is AI’s greatest potential for mental health service users? (2) What are the biggest risks? (3) Is law adequate to support potential and guard against risks? And (4) what messages should we convey to law and policy makers? This report summarizes the workshop presentations, discussions, and findings.
Twists & Swirls: Caregiving & Sexualization—Femininity Construct in Gendered Migration from Nigeria to Italy
(2021-08-01) Christiana Essie, Sagay
With globalization, interconnectivity, and the possibilities of increased income through wage differentials comes the desirability to migrate for labour. Contrary to early migration theories, women are increasingly migrating for labour independent of male breadwinners. Therefore, "temporary and permanent movements are globalizing, accelerating, diversifying and feminizing." The influence of gender on migration has become so convoluted that culturally and socially constructed roles of masculinity and femininity motivate and inspire migration trends among many women migrating from Nigeria to Italy, creating a sort of gendered social agency. This piece offers an analysis of how social contexts and gendered expectations shape the desires of many Nigerian females to migrate and remain in Italy for labour. This piece also examines the role and response of law and policy in gendering migration trends.
Direct-to-Public Digital Legal Tools in Canada: A 2023 Update
(2024-06-15) Salyzyn, Amy; Stroud, Shannon
This report provides an inventory of direct-to-public digital legal tools that are available in Canada. A total of 118 tools are listed in the chart that can be found at the end of the document. This document also includes a brief explanation of how the inventory was created and a discussion of some limitations and qualifications. Several key observations are also outlined.
Court Form Accessibility: Adopting, Designing, and Evaluating Online Guided Pathways
(2024-06-06) Salyzyn, Amy; Burkell, Jacquelyn; Azizi, Esti; Westcott, Westcott
Self-represented litigants (SRLs) have repeatedly identified overly complex court forms as a major source of confusion and frustration. Digital guided pathways have been identified as one possible means to reduce barriers that the public experiences with court forms – but how effective are guided pathways as access to justice measures? Do they make court forms easier to fill out? If so, how can they be optimally designed and evaluated? This article reports on research seeking to answer these questions through a case study of family law guided pathways developed by Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO). This study yielded two major conclusions. First, guided pathways can significantly reduce complexity for SRLs and, thus, other jurisdictions should consider adopting them as access-enhancing measures. Second, when designing and evaluating the design of court form guided pathways, a functional literacy framework, combined with user data and human testing, can be helpful in identifying barriers.
Book Review: Unveiling Nuances, Empowering Voices, and Challenging Dichotomies in SouthSouth Migration Dynamics
(2024-03-29) Sagay, Christiana Essie
Olakpe's scholarly contribution is a thought-provoking addition to the discourse on South-South migration. Through an in-depth conceptual and methodological analysis of the law from below and Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), Olakpe unveils the intricate layers of migration dynamics. Departing from the conventional south-north migration paradigm, this book unpacks the nuances of south-south migration through a critical and transformative lens, reorienting the dialogue towards the subtleties that characterize this unique migration pattern. At the heart of Olakpe's approach lies her innovative utilization of case studies and legal ethnographies in Nigeria and China. These studies serve as a lens through which she illuminates the experiences of marginalized subaltern communities, offering a critique of international law's role within the context of South-South migrations. Employing the 'hermeneutics of suspicion,' this book endeavours to deconstruct overarching generalizations, contradictions, preemptive universalization, inherent biases, and power dynamics in the south-south migration paradigm.
Women Strapped with Bombs: “Victim-Perpetrators” In The Boko Haram Insurgency – A Case of Gender Persecution
(2020) Sagay, Christiana Essie
The surge in the use of female suicide bombers by Boko Haram since 2014 has received heightened attention, particularly after the abduction of 276 girls in Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria on 14 April 2014. It is believed that the abducted schoolgirls are coerced along with many other women and young girls into being suicide bombers by Boko Haram for Boko Haram. This phenomenon, therefore, creates a binary status for many of these suicide bombers – ‘victim-perpetrators’ under International Criminal Law. As victims - a target group of gender persecution, as a crime against humanity. As perpetrators - unwilling cocoons in the Boko Haram insurgency. Because the International Criminal Court is saddled with the prosecution of those ‘most responsible’ for international crimes, it is doubtful that suicide bombers would be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court. This leaves prosecution of suicide bombers to domestic courts. But domestic prosecutions would have to look to International Criminal Law for the adoption of internationally recognized standards in prosecuting international crimes. This article is a modest contribution to the field of gender and International Criminal Law. This piece offers an analysis of the crime of gender persecution. It interrogates the question of criminal responsibility or lack thereof for the women coerced into being Persone Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (PBIEDs.)
Building Constructive and Sound Labour Relations in Colombia – A contribution towards the improvement of labour practices in Colombia
(2022) Le Bouthillier, Yves; Torres, Mario; OVALLE DÍAZ, Nelson Arturo
The study, Building Constructive and Sound Labour Relations in Colombia, contributes to improving labour relations and practices in Colombia. This study implements recommendation 1.5 of the Canada-Colombia Action Plan 2018-2021. The study finds that the legacy of the armed conflict, rampant labour informality, the lack of institutional capacity, the use of harmful labour practices, and the lack of collective will to eliminate the use of harmful labour practices as well as to update legislation and the functioning of institutions, generally, constitute the top five issues which inhibit an effective labour relations system in Colombia. However, the study recognizes that there is an opportunity to build on what exists in Colombia, drawing inspiration from principles and practices in the Canadian labour relations model, to develop a stronger Colombian labour relations system. The study recommends that the parties abandon the use of harmful labour relations practices (e.g., collective pacts, union contracts and fragmentation of union representation) and embrace legislative and institutional changes that fit within Colombia’s current constitutional framework. The implementation of a culture of peace and cooperation in labour relations, the creation of mutual trust amongst stakeholders through consistent dialogue, the professionalization of independents and administrative agencies who are responsible for enforcing labour standards and resolving conflicts and reducing/eliminating labour informality are the tasks to be undertaken immediately to reduce conflict in the labour relations context. Finally, strengthening institutional capacity by creating a labour superintendency and a national centre for mediation and arbitration for labour relations would assist in building productive and sound labour relations in Colombia; for more details on this specific recommendation, see Appendix 7. This study was led by a team of researchers assembled at the University of Ottawa and used a participatory methodology. The collaboration of six teams of Colombian researchers with expertise in labour relations was essential in understanding Colombian labour relations when the study began. Each team of Colombian experts prepared and presented a report; each is published as Appendix 1. Unfortunately, informal, and non-unionized workers (except for a group of employees in the flower sector) did not participate proportionately; even if informal workers represent half of the labour force in Colombia but they only partially participated anonymously in the study’s survey, the results of which appear as Appendix 2. Fortunately, all labour relations stakeholders in the formal sector (employers, unions, and government agencies) actively participated in 17 focus group sessions; the certified minutes can be found in Appendix 3. Also, a team of Canadian labour relations experts visited Colombia in February 2020 and exchanged experiences with their Colombian counterparts; this direct experience resulted in their reports published as Appendix 4. Although the Colombian labour relations experts could not visit Canada, they learned about the Canadian labour relations system through virtual/hybrid conferences and comparative legislation documents, the latter of which appear in Appendix 6. The Colombian delegates also produced their analysis of the current labour relations system in Colombia and offered insight into potential changes to it; these reports appear in Appendix 5. We hope this study will contribute to social peace in Colombia through effective social dialogue resulting in an improved labour relations system developed through strengthened, independent, and impartial institutions.
Construyendo Relaciones Laborales Constructivas y Sólidas en Colombia: una contribución a la mejora de las prácticas laborales en Colombia
(2022) Le Bouthillier, Yves; Torres, Mario; OVALLE DÍAZ, Nelson Arturo
El estudio Construyendo Relaciones Laborales Constructivas y Sólidas en Colombia presenta una contribución a la mejora de las prácticas laborales en Colombia. Este estudio representa la ejecución de la recomendación 1.5 del Plan de Acción Canadá-Colombia 2018-2021. El estudio concluye que el legado del conflicto armado, la informalidad laboral, la falta de capacidad institucional, las prácticas laborales perjudiciales, y la falta de voluntad colectiva para eliminar las malas prácticas, así como para actualizar normas e instituciones constituyen, generalmente, los cinco principales problemas que afectan el funcionamiento de las relaciones laborales en Colombia. Sin embargo, el estudio reconoce que se puede construir sobre lo construido para potenciar las instituciones y conceptos colombianos, así como inspirarse en ideas y fundamentos del modelo de relaciones laborales canadiense. El estudio recomienda el abandono de las malas prácticas (pactos colectivos, contratos sindicales y fragmentación de la representación sindical) y la adopción de cambios legislativos e institucionales en desarrollo del marco constitucional vigente. La implementación de la cultura de la paz y cooperación, la creación de confianza mutua mediante mesas de dialogo vinculantes, la profesionalización de los agentes y agencias administrativas responsables de aplicar las normas laborales y resolver conflictos, y la formalización laboral constituyen las tareas a emprender inmediatamente para reducir la conflictividad derivada de las injusticias laborales. Finalmente, el fortalecimiento de la capacidad institucional mediante la creación de una superintendencia del trabajo y un centro nacional de mediación y arbitraje en relaciones laborales constituyen la hoja de ruta a seguir para cimentar unas relaciones laborales productivas y estables en Colombia; para conocer más detalles de esta recomendación, ver anexo 7. Este estudio fue liderado por un equipo de investigadores coordinado por la Universidad de Ottawa utilizando una metodología participativa. La colaboración de seis equipos de investigadores colombianos expertos en relaciones laborales fue esencial en el diagnóstico y el análisis de los actores que interactúan en la estructura laboral colombiana. Cada equipo de expertos colombianos elaboró y presentó un reporte publicado como anexo 1. Desafortunadamente, los trabajadores informales y no afiliados a organización sindical (salvo a un grupo de empleados del sector de flores) no fueron formalmente escuchados, pues los trabajadores informales que representa la mitad de la fuerza laboral únicamente participaron parcialmente de manera anónima en la encuesta, cuyos resultados aparecen como anexo 2. Afortunadamente, todos los actores de las relaciones laborales organizados (empleadores, sindicatos y agencias gubernamentales) fueron convocados y participaron activamente en 17 grupos de discusión, las notas certificadas de esas discusiones se encuentran en el anexo 3. Igualmente, los delegados de las relaciones laborales canadienses visitaron Colombia en febrero 2020, e intercambiaron experiencias con sus pares colombianos, esta experiencia directa les permitió escribir sus propios reportes que se publican como anexo 4. A pesar de que los delegados de las relaciones laborales colombianos no pudieron visitar Canadá, ellos recibieron la información sobre el régimen de relaciones laborales canadiense mediante conferencias virtuales y documentos comparativos, estos últimos aparecen en el anexo 6. Los delegados colombianos igualmente produjeron su propio diagnóstico y análisis sobre la situación laboral en Colombia, reportes que aparecen en el anexo 5. Esperamos que este estudio contribuya a la paz social en Colombia mediante un dialogo social vinculante que actualice y aplique efectivamente un régimen de relaciones laborales justas a través de unas instituciones reforzadas, profesionalizadas, descentralizadas, independientes y siempre imparciales.
L'argumentation juridique
(2022) Bontems, Camille; Courtemanche, France; Levesque, Anne
L’expertise du juriste ou de l’avocat ne s’arrête pas à la maîtrise du droit. Il doit non seulement pouvoir déterminer les règles de droit applicables dans une situation donnée, mais aussi savoir les utiliser et les présenter pour convaincre un juge du bien-fondé de la position qu’il défend. Dans cette veine, il est nécessaire de pouvoir argumenter de manière pertinente et convaincante. Il existe de nombreuses manières d’argumenter. Sans chercher à toutes les présenter, nous tenterons ici de vous présenter quelques éléments pour vous aider à construire vos premiers argumentaires juridiques. Ressource éducative libre pour le cours CML 1611 Compétences et habiletés juridiques à l’Université d’Ottawa (Faculté de droit – Common Law).
Les blessures de naissance au Canada: La réforme de la responsabilité médicale est essentielle
(2020) Temkit, Maha
Cette étude vise à fournir une meilleure compréhension de la négligence médicale dans les blessures à la naissance, en mettant l'accent sur les blessures de nature neurologique. Tout d'abord, un aperçu du système de santé canadien et des protections pour faute professionnelle médicale sera examiné. Deuxièmement, le contexte judiciaire sera étudié, y compris le début d'une réclamation, la responsabilité hospitalière, la négligence médicale et les facteurs à considérer pour le prouver, les facteurs qui découragent les poursuites pour faute professionnelle médicale et les actions en justice de cas de blessures à la naissance réussies au Canada. Troisièmement, les efforts de réforme de la faute professionnelle médicale au Canada seront examinés. Enfin, des solutions seront proposées pour la future réglementation de la faute médicale au Canada.
Ownership and Control over Publicly Accessible Platform Data
(2019) Scassa, Teresa
Purpose: This paper examines how claims to ‘ownership’ are asserted over publicly accessible platform data and critically assesses the nature and scope of rights to reuse these data. Approach: Using Airbnb as a case study, this paper examines the data ecosystem that arises around publicly accessible platform data. It analyses current statute and case law in order to understand the state of the law around the scraping of such data. Practical Implications: The nature of some sharing economy platforms requires that a large subset of their data be publicly accessible. These data can be used to understand how platform companies operate, to assess their compliance with laws and regulations, and to evaluate their social and economic impacts. They can also be used in different kinds of data analytics. Such data are therefore sought after by civil society organizations, researchers, entrepreneurs, and regulators. This paper considers who has a right to control access to and use of this data, and builds an argument for a consideration of the public interest in data scraping. Findings: This paper demonstrates that there is considerable uncertainty about the practice of data scraping, and that there are risks in allowing the law to evolve in the context of battles between business competitors without a consideration of the broader public interest in data scraping. It argues for a data ecosystem approach that can keep the public dimension issues more squarely within the frame when data scraping is judicially considered.
Online Activism as a Tool for Anti-Racist Social Change
(2019) Temkit, Maha; St. Lewis, Joanne
The aim of this thesis is to study the way in which virtual communities, specifically racialized communities, seize the online world to strengthen their racial identities. An analysis of past and present heroes will also be explored to better understand the relation between modern social constructs and online activism.
From individual coping strategies to illness codification: the reflection of gender in social science research on Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
(2014) Nadeau, Geneviève; Lippel, Katherine
Emerging fields such as environmental health have been challenged, in recent years, to answer the growing methodological calls for a finer integration of sex and gender in health-related research and policy-making.
Police Service Crime Mapping as Civic Technology: A Critical Assessment
(2016-07) Scassa, Teresa
It is increasingly common for municipal police services in North America to make online crime maps available to the public. This form of civic technology is now so widely used that there is a competitive private sector market for crime mapping platforms. This paper considers the crime maps made available by three Canadian police forces using platforms developed by U.S.-based private sector corporations. The paper considers how these crime maps present particular narratives of crime in the city, evaluates the quality of the mapped data, and explores how laws shape and constrain the use and reuse of crime data. It considers as well the problems that may arise in using off-the-shelf solutions – particularly ones developed in another country. It asks whether this model of crime mapping advances or limits goals of transparency and accountability, and what lessons it offers about the use of private sector civic technologies to serve public sector purposes.
Exploited Employees or Exploited Entrepreneurial Agents? A Look at Erotic Dancers
(2004) Bouclin, Suzanne
Dans cet article, l'auteure s'attaque à une situation unique, légale, sociale et économique d'un groupe de travailleuses particulières: les danseuses du sexe. L'auteure discute et soupèse les arguments en faveur et contre l'encadrement des danseuses comme employées et comment ou l'économie actuelle ou le climat social limit leur accès aux bénéfices et aux protections légales.
Geographic Information as Personal Information
(2010) Scassa, Teresa
The rapid proliferation of applications using geographical information combined with the growing accessibility of vast quantities of data of all kinds has given rise to the mapping of information on an unprecedented scale. Information maps are created by governments, private sector actors, and even by individuals; they may be sole-authored or crowd-sourced. These maps are frequently made available over the internet. Information maps have a serious potential to impact on personal privacy. This paper gives an overview of developments in the mapping of information. It then explores a key question in the data protection context: when is geographical information personal information? Particular challenges in answering this question include the way in which geographical information may be a key to re-identifying de-identified data, and how it can be used to link aggregate geodemographic data to specific individuals.
L’avenir des minorités de langues officielles et l’engagement des institutions fédérales : la partie VII de la Loi sur les langues officielles comme outil permettant de réaliser l’égalité réelle
(2011-05-16) Corriveau, Monick; Léger, Richard; Létourneau, Matthew; Roy, Mélanie
En tenant compte des développements récents dans le domaine des droits linguistiques, ce rapport interprète et applique les paragraphes 41(1) et 41(2) de la partie VII. Ce rapport analyse la force contraignante de la partie VII au regard des thèmes suivants : 1) Qui sont les bénéficiaires de la partie VII de la LLO ? 2) Comment la partie VII de la LLO pourrait-elle être appliquée par les institutions fédérales et les tribunaux ? 3) La réorientation de l’engagement des institutions fédérales : un plus grand accent vers le communautaire.
The Future of Official Language Minority Groups and the Commitment by Federal Institutions: Part VII of the Official Languages Act as a Tool for Achieving Substantive Equality
(2010) Corriveau, Monick; Léger, Richard; Létourneau, Matthew; Roy, Mélanie
This report interprets and applies subsections 41(1) and 41(2) of Part VII in light of recent developments in relation to language rights. It analyzes the binding effect of Part VII in relation to the following themes: (1) Who is entitled to benefit under Part VII of the OLA? (2) How could Part VII of the OLA be applied by federal institutions and the courts? (3) Should the commitment by federal institutions put greater emphasis on the community aspect?
Recalibrating Copyright Law? A Comment on the Supreme Court of Canada's Decision in CCH v. Law Society of Upper Canada
(2004) Scassa, Teresa
The Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous decision in CCH Canadian Ltd. et. al. v. Law Society of Upper Canada has major implications for the development of copyright law in Canada. This paper offers a critical examination of the Court’s decision, with a focus on the new standard of originality established by the Court, the Court’s approach to the “authorization” of infringing acts, and the new interpretive approach to fair dealing. The author argues that the case signals a new direction in copyright law in Canada – one that places real limits on the scope of the rights of owners of copyright.
Privacy Crime and Terror: Legal Rights and Security in a Time of Peril (book review)
(2007) Scassa, Teresa
This is a book review of the book by Stanley Cohen titled Privacy, Crime and Terror: Legal Rights and Security in a Time of Peril.

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