Faculty in the News

Johnson & Sheehy: Social science research does not distort problems of sexual violence. Inaccurate commentators do 
Publication: National Post
In this Op-Ed, Holly Johnson, Department of Criminology and Elizabeth Sheehy, Common Law Section, refute a column by Barbara Kay regarding the definitions of rape and sexual assault. According to them, "the problem is not that women or social science research exaggerate the problem of sexual violence. The problem is that commentators like Kay attempt to drown out this important conversation by reasserting outdated and inaccurate stereotypes."

CBC News Ottawa (Late Night) - December 30, 2014 
Publication: CBC News Ottawa
(3:41-6:27) An Indian couple who recently immigrated to Canada are having trouble bringing their infant son to the country because of certain immigration laws. According to Peter Showler, Common Law Section, "it's probably the cruelest and most unnecessary regulation in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, because it splits families apart."

Task force to take fresh look at doctors and sex abuse 
Publication: Toronto Star Online
A new task force is about to begin reviewing the law governing health professionals and the sexual abuse of patients. Sandra Rodgers, Common Law Section, comments.

Magnotta trial: NCR defence, no get out of jail free card 
Publication: Metro Canada
In this Op-Ed, Lorne Goldstein, Common Law Section, comments the Magnotta ruling and the plaintiff’s choice to plead not criminally responsible. He writes that "it is important, in the light of the Magnotta conviction, to remember that the NCR provisions of the Code exist for a legitimate reason and this conviction proves that they are not a get out of jail free card."

Mark Carney, Sheldon Kennedy among latest appointments to Order of Canada 
Publication: National Post
Donald McRae, Common Law Section, will be installed at Companion at the Order of Canada.

My Watch And Obasanjo Exceptionalism By Chidi Oguamanam 
Publication: Sahara Reporters
Chidi Oguamanam, Common Law Section, profiles former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo and comments on his memoir.

Barbara Kay: More rape statistics by the biased for the biased 
Publication: National Post
This column article discusses a recent survey on rape and sexual assault. The author quotes Elizabeth Sheehy, Common Law Section, to support her claim that the findings are biased and do not represent reality.

How partisan Conservative ads undermine the rule of law
Publication: Globe and Mail
In this Op-Ed, Errol Mendes, Common Law Section, comments the federal government’s spending on partisan publicity. “Governments are allowed to advertise about services and programs that they are implementing, but when some of them are either untruthful, promote partisan positions or are not even authorised by Parliament, it becomes a vehicle to undermine the foundations of any democracy that values the spirit and letter of the rule of law,” he says.

E-cigarette use slapped with growing provincial regulation 
Publication: CBC News
David Sweanor, Common Law Section, shares his opinion on electronic cigarette regulation. "If we look at Canada, for instance, we know that in the next 25 years, based on current trends and consumption, a million of our fellow Canadians are going to die as a direct result of cigarette smoking," he says.

Judicial appointments show an indifference to diversity 
Publication: Toronto Star Online
In this Op-Ed, Rosemary Cairns Way, Faculty of Law, discusses gender and race inequality in the federal and provincial governments' judicial appointments. 

The honeymoon's over: Côté's learning curve at Supreme Court will be steep and swift 
Publication: Ottawa Citizen
This article profiles Suzanne Côté, the new Supreme Court justice for Québec. Carissima Mathen, Common Law Section, discusses, stating “she’ll probably start to develop a distinct ‘judicial voice’ of her own.”

Intellectual Property: Leveraging on diaspora exchange (I) 
Publication: Nigeria World
In this Op-Ed, Chidi Oguamanam, Common Law Section, discusses foreign direct investment in Africa and how important intellectual property management is. He explains that "if a country is not well equipped in the intellectual property and knowledge governance front, it is less likely to optimize opportunities on the critical issue of technology transfer and capacity building."

Up to three in 10 women may have been raped, poll shows
Publication: Toronto Star
A new survey shows as many as three in ten women in Canada have been raped. Elizabeth Sheehy, Common Law Section, believes the estimate falls short of reality. “Those kinds of surveys, I don’t think they come even close to touching the numbers of women who’ve experienced that kind of violence.”

Public and private sector companies vulnerable to Sony-like attacks 
Publication: Toronto Star
In the wake of a massive cyber-attack, Errol Mendes, Common Law Section, warns companies. “Part of (a company’s) most fundamental duties are to understand they’re open to such devastating attacks.”

Todd Shapiro interviews David Sweanor 
Publication: Todd Shapiro Show
(36:23-56:44) David Sweanor, Common Law Section, discusses electronic cigarettes and how they differ from traditional cigarettes. He explains that "the problem is smoke going into your lungs. It isn't nicotine. So if you can find a way for people to get what they want, without the delivery system, you largely solve the health problem." He goes on to ask: "If you have an alternative, why would you pick something that is going to kill you?”

Vern Krishna: Income splitting is fair 
Publication: Financial Post
In this Op-Ed, Vern Krishna, Common Law Section, explains why he believes income splitting is a good idea. "The result of making the family the taxable unit would be fairer than the present system of individual taxation. However, in tax policy, revenue and political considerations often trump structural fairness." 

Police can now search your phone without a warrant: Experts weigh in 
Publication: Metro Canada
In this column, Lorne Goldstein, Common Law Section, questions the new Supreme Court ruling that allows police to look into personal electronic devices without a warrant: "If the now lawful search would be frustrated by a password, can the police compel the owner to unlock the phone in the same way they can compel the driver of a car to open a door?"