91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law Archives | Research & Innovation

91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy and Law leads Canada's delegation at inaugural labour rights forum in Beijing

fmaquito — Fri, 06 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000

The (YCPPL) has been chosen by the Government of Canada to organize and lead the first ever Canada-China Industrial Relations & Labour Rights Forum in Beijing.

The forum, which focuses on industrial relations, workplace discrimination and human rights issues, will be held today and tomorrow at the Beijing Conference Centre. YCPPL was awarded a major grant of $100,000 from the of (HRSDC) to organize the forum, which will bring together some of Canada's top thinkers in industrial and labour rights with key policy-makers and thinkers in China.

Right: Lesley Jacobs

"The Canada-China Forum is the first of its kind and reflects a new initiative of the Government of Canada in the realm of recalibrating their relationship with China involving university-led research units," says political science Professor Lesley Jacobs, director of YCPPL.

"Working with government officials in Canada and the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing, this event will bring together a 17-person Canadian delegation, including academics, senior government officials, representatives from human rights commissioners, and delegates from business, labour and NGOs, to provide a dynamic platform for an important comparative discussion of industrial relations and workplace rights with a view to relating these issues to international labour standards," says Jacobs.

In addition to Jacobs, 91��ɫ Professor Lorne Foster, director of the Master in Public Policy, Administration & Law program, will also be a principal investigator on this project. Jacobs and Foster, along with political science Professor Daniel Drache and Patrick Monahan, 91��ɫ's vice-president academic & provost, are in Beijing for the forum. Monahan will make the welcoming remarks to the delegates gathered in Beijing.

Canada’s ambassador to China, David Mulroney, along with a representative from the United Nations International Labour Organization and various Chinese dignitaries, will also deliver speeches to forum delegates.

"Being asked to lead such an event is a tremendous achievement for YCPPL and 91��ɫ," says Jacobs. "It offers an opportunity to demonstrate the dynamism and excellence of 91��ɫ researchers and their research."

YCPPL encourages research on the role and impact of law in the formation and expression of public policy. More specifically, the centre focuses on constitutional, institutional and legal aspects of the public policy, as well as the international and transnational dimensions of law and public policy.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy and Law leads Canada's delegation at inaugural labour rights forum in Beijing appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice moving to 91��ɫ

fmaquito — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ is the new home of the . The forum is moving to 91��ɫ from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law and will partner with the (YCPPL) and on various socio-legal research initiatives.

“The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice is one of the country’s leading organizations devoted to interdisciplinary research on civil justice,” says Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Professor Lesley Jacobs, who teaches law & society and political science and is the director of the YCPPL. “It is a non-profit, independent, national organization established in May 1998 to help meet the challenges of modernizing our civil justice systems in Canada.”

The forum works collaboratively with all of the sectors and jurisdictions in the justice community in Canada, and increasingly those based internationally. Serving as a clearing house, coordinator and facilitator to share knowledge between jurisdictions, the forum creates new knowledge, addressing gaps in information and understanding about the civil justice systems.

“It acts as a catalyst to transform this knowledge into successful reform and encourages evaluation of new initiatives so that we may learn from the reforms that are undertaken,” says Jacobs. “I anticipate numerous collaborative research projects between YCPPL and the forum. These projects will offer Osgoode faculty and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies many exciting opportunities.”

Leadership for the forum is provided by Osgoode Professor , who serves as the law school's director of clinical legal education, as well as chair of the board for the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice.

“The forum has emerged as a leading voice in the search for accessible and effective civil justice. This is a wonderful opportunity for Osgoode and 91��ɫ that benefited from Professor Jacobs of the YCPPL and Professor Farrow’s strong leadership,” says Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Lorne Sossin.

The forum will be hosted by the YCPPL on the sixth floor of the 91��ɫ Research Tower. A workshop is planned for mid-January to offer all interested faculty an opportunity to see the research opportunities the forum offers and to help shape the future of the forum at 91��ɫ.

For more information, visit the website or the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

The post Canadian Forum on Civil Justice moving to 91��ɫ appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research seeks submissions

fmaquito — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research publishes research that has been presented as part of the Osgoode-91��ɫ Seminar Series in Policy Research, although authors who have not presented their work in the seminar series may still submit papers for consideration, provided that they relate to public policy themes, more broadly.

With the assistance of an editorial team and faculty experts, working papers undergo at least two stages in a peer-review process, and will be posted on the Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research Web site as they become available. Authors are encouraged to submit their papers to as well as the for further online dissemination. Potential hard copy distribution of the Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research is currently being explored. Click here to read abstracts and papers in the Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research.

The 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law was established in 2008 to foster and facilitate collaborative interdisciplinary research in the field of public policy and law among 91��ɫ's faculty and students. The centre works to fulfil the research needs of the broader community, in particular the needs of government and public policy-makers, non-governmental organizations and social movements in Canada. The centre has its origins in the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Law & Public Policy, which was established at Osgoode Hall Law School more than 20 years ago.

For further information, visit the Osgoode-91��ɫ Seminar Series in Policy Research Web site, or contact editor-in-chief Jennifer Dalton in the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law, 604 91��ɫ Research Tower on 91��ɫ's Keele campus.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research seeks submissions appeared first on Research & Innovation.

LA&PS series on why research matters to feature 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Program (KMb)

fmaquito — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

It’s been a year of research-intensive events and activities in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and one of the most notable initiatives has been the Research Matters series. It attempts to answer the question: “Why does research matter?” In particular, it focuses on the ways in which LA&PS researchers – both faculty and students – are using their skills and expertise to address timely community, cultural, social, economic and industry challenges.

Missed out on a Research Matters session? Videos and audio files are available online.

There are two more Research Matters sessions scheduled this year, open to the 91��ɫ community. The first, which will be held on March 24 from 10am to noon in 109 Atkinson Building, takes up the theme of knowledge mobilization. Michael Johnny, manager of 91��ɫ’s Unit, will provide general insights into what knowledge mobilization is and how it ties to LA&PS researchers. Professor from the School of Social Work will discuss his knowledge mobilization efforts in the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender research.

The second session will be held on April 19 from 10am to noon in 305 91��ɫ Lanes and will focus on human rights, international law and global health policy. Political science Professor Lesley Jacobs, director of the , will present in collaboration with four emerging 91��ɫ scholars: Hope Olumide Shamonda (PhD candidate in philosophy); (PhD candidate in philosophy); Ruby Dhand (PhD candidate in law); and Mariette Brennan (PhD candidate in law).

The series has also explored topics ranging from pandemic planning, indigenous research and China’s competitive advantage in the world market to the grammar of aid in international development, community engagement as methodological practice, and, most recently, the value of Canada’s North.

“One of the highlights of the year for me in the role of associate dean, research, has been the launch of this series,” says Professor Barbara Crow. “I’ve gained helpful insight into the individual and collaborative research undertakings of faculty and students, and enjoyed watching connections being made between academic research and what’s going on in our communities, our workplaces and our lives.”

To RSVP for either of the upcoming sessions, e-mail Lorraine Myrie at lmyrie@yorku.ca.

Republished with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post LA&PS series on why research matters to feature 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Program (KMb) appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Centre for Public Policy & Law hosts policy dialogue on competing human rights

fmaquito — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Over the last decade, the concept of human rights has taken on increasing complexity in nations around the world, in large part because of the way it is viewed. There are times when to acknowledge the rights of one individual or group directly affects the access to human rights of another.

Such competing human rights can play out in many places, from the University classroom to the international stage, where groups actively promote a particular view of rights recognition that may hinder access to rights of others within the community. How do groups, organizations, governments, human rights commissions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academics approach this multi-faceted issue?

That question was at the heart of a two-day policy dialogue held at 91��ɫ last weekend. "Towards a Framework to Address Competing Rights Claims" is a partnership between the , the and the Centre for Human Rights at 91��ɫ. It brought academics, activists, representatives from human rights commissions from across Canada, non-governmental organizations, governments and special interest groups to 91��ɫ where they talked openly about the sometimes thorny issue of competing human rights.

91��ɫ Professor Lesley Jacobs (left), director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law, served as the dialogue's organizer along with Professor Lorne Foster, director of 91��ɫ's Graduate Program in Public Policy, Administration & Law Program. Jacobs, a professor of law & society and political science, has long had an active research interest in competing human rights. "In the last 5 to 10 years, increasingly in Canada there has been a perception that rights conflicts and human rights commissions have been struggling with competing human rights," says Jacobs. "There have been trade-offs between free speech and rights, and concerns about hate or defamation or discriminatory speech. Issues that come to mind include the debate over same sex marriage, religious freedom and disability rights."

The surprising thing in Canada is that the country's human rights commissions, many of which have existed for 40 or 50 years, do not have policies on conflicting rights, says Jacobs. "So when the Ontario Human Rights Commission approached us [the 91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy & Law] to develop a policy dialogue on competing human rights, we saw an opportunity to bring together different stakeholders who could work together to lay the groundwork for the development of future policies on competing human rights."

Human rights are based in the values that societies live by and these values can be different between one society and another, says Jacobs. "A student may need a Seeing Eye dog to assist him with getting around the university. However, what about the student who has a severe allergy to dogs who sits in the same classroom? Both individuals have rights and these rights compete."

How society deals with such competing human rights will be the core of many future conversations, says Jacobs.

The policy dialogue, while closed to the community, was broadcast on a large format LCD screen in the Vari Hall Lecture Hall D on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6. For Jacobs, the broadcast offered a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty and staff to watch and learn about competing human rights and the power of open dialogue to create policy.

"The vision we had when developing this conference was to bring leading stakeholders from a wide range of affected communities – faith communities, persons with disabilities, minority groups, same sex rights, all sorts of NGOs and civil society organizations – together with academics who work on rights conflicts from a wide range of perspectives, human rights lawyers and people from human rights commissions across the country to talk about competing human rights," says Jacobs.

The dialogue examined a host of different topics. The first day's session began with a discussion of the philosophical approaches to competing rights and participants and then moved on to discuss the legal frameworks of human rights, what a conflict is and how it can be resolved and competing rights in context. They finished the day with a discussion of creed and competing rights.

On Saturday, participants discussed the competing legal perspectives on competing rights, the social policy approach to competing human rights and the different societal perspectives, and the media's role in competing rights policy. The final session brought all of the discussions together to amass a potential framework for policy on competing human rights. The full program and session abstracts are available as an online PDF on the Web site.

Final outcomes of the two-day dialogue include a future publication of the different papers and perspectives presented, and Jacobs hopes the dialogue will also mark the start of a series of events developed with a goal to create future policies on competing human rights.

For more information on the , the Centre for Human Rights and the , visit their Web sites.

Additional support for this two-day dialogue was provided by the 91��ɫ Centre for Research on Work & Society, the Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies, the Office of the Provost and the Law Foundation of Ontario.

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Centre for Public Policy & Law hosts policy dialogue on competing human rights appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research seeks submissions

fmaquito — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Osgoode-91��ɫ Working Paper Series in Policy Research seeks submissions appeared first on Research & Innovation.