Background
Since the advent of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, courts have become a focal point for policy change in Canada. Faced with litigation and court rulings, governments have been forced to develop or amend policy in such areas as safe injection sites, sex work, and assisted dying. Increasingly, these landmark cases include extensive social science evidentiary records. The purpose of this one-day workshop, sponsored by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, is to better understand the key role that social science plays in litigation strategies and judicial decision-making, and to examine best practices for effectively developing and using social science evidence for litigation-driven policy change.
Target Audience and Learning Objectives
This workshop is targeted at lawyers and non-Âlawyers who use litigation as a policy change strategy and wish to better understand how to effectively use social science evidence in this process. It is also targeted at social scientists who want to conduct and present research for use in court cases.
Don’t miss this workshop’s third panel on solitary confinement with BCCLA Counsel Laura Track, Dr. Lisa Kerr and Alison Latimer. The event will take place at UBC Robson Square from 8:30am to 4:30pm at UBC Robson Square. Program and ticket information can be found here.
