CIAJ In All Fairness - ICAJ En toute justice

When courts listen, justice systems can begin to change.
Hosted by Christine O'Doherty, Lawyer and CIAJ Executive Director, this episode features Dr. Jhoel Escudero, President of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador, in the context of the Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP) Project led by Federal Judicial Affairs Canada.
Dr. Jhoel Escudero discusses why the TAP Project was timely for Ecuador's justice system and how sustained dialogue with Indigenous communities has shaped institutional understanding. The discussion touches on the constitutional recognition of Indigenous justice, the challenges courts face in harmonizing legal systems, and the impact of unprecedented consultations bringing together judges, Indigenous leaders, and justice actors. Reflections from Dr. Jhoel Escudero's visit to Canada and his participation in international conversations on democracy and judicial independence round out the episode.

 
Guest
Dr. Jhoel Escudero, President of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador 

Host
Christine O'Doherty, Lawyer & Executive Director, CIAJ
 
About the Technical Assistance Partnership
Project (TAP):
Global Affairs Canada's Technical Assistance Partnership Project (TAP), is designed to deploy Canadian experts from a range of disciplines to provide technical assistance to developing countries. The Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs (FJA) is one of the Canadian government agencies with an international development project under TAP. Under TAP, FJA engages with up to three countries per year for a one-year program of capacity building for judicial institutions. This mechanism allows Canada to use the experience in our judicial system to respond to requests for technical assistance made through Canadian missions abroad. Technical assistance is provided in response to needs expressed by partner countries, but in alignment with Canada's international development priorities, including the strengthening of gender equality and the protection of human rights.
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L'IA s'invite désormais dans les salles d'audience et les cabinets d'avocats. Mais comment fonctionne-t-elle réellement ? Quels sont ses usages concrets, de la recherche juridique à la gestion documentaire ? Peut-elle améliorer l'accès à la justice ou créera-t-elle de nouvelles inégalités ? 
Dans ce 4ᵉ épisode de la série « Dans l'angle mort », l'honorable juge Simon Ruel s'entretient avec Catherine Régis, professeure titulaire à la Faculté de droit de Université de Montréal, pour explorer l'arrivée de l'IA dans le système judiciaire. 
Entre promesses d'efficacité et risques pour l'indépendance judiciaire, la transparence et les valeurs fondamentales de la justice, cet épisode offre un éclairage essentiel sur un enjeu qui redéfinit l'avenir du droit. 
 
APERÇU DE LA SÉRIE
Dans l'angle mort
Une série de balados de la chaîne En Toute Justice de l'ICAJ
À l'heure où les grands enjeux juridiques dépassent les salles d'audience, Dans l'angle mort propose une plongée au cœur des tensions, transitions et transformations qui façonnent le droit contemporain et le système de justice. Animée par le juge Simon Ruel, cette série donne la parole à des avocats, juges, universitaires et experts pour explorer des enjeux systémiques, comme l'indépendance judiciaire, l'intelligence artificielle et le système de justice, le litige stratégique et le contentieux climatique, ou encore les médias sociaux.
Chaque épisode de 45 à 50 minutes croise expériences de terrain, perspectives théoriques et préoccupations sociales, dans un format accessible et rigoureux. Ensemble, nous scrutons les angles morts du droit – ces zones d'ombre où se jouent les grands équilibres de notre système juridique et démocratique.
Épisode 1 | Dans l'angle mort de la justice pénale internationale – Aux confins des enjeux géopolitiques (invité: Me Philippe Larochelle)
Épisode 2 | Dans l'angle mort – Le pouvoir judiciaire, un géant aux pieds d'argile? (invités: Shana Chaffai-Parent et Jacques Chamberland)
Épisode 3 | Dans l'angle mort – Le litige climatique sous l'angle des droits de la personne (invitée: Maud Sarlieve)
Épisode 4 | Dans l'angle mort – L'intelligence artificielle et la justice (invitée: Catherine Régis)

Finland, renowned for being the happiest country in the world, has addressed homelessness head-on through a human rights-based approach to housing. Under the Finnish "Housing First" approach, everyone is entitled to a settled place to live, regardless of life circumstances. This system moves away from the goal of making people experiencing homelessness "housing ready," and toward supportive housing units with normal leases and tenancy agreements.  
In the fourth episode of this series, host Sarah Rowe is joined by Juha Kahila, Head of International Affairs at Y-Foundation, one of the key national developers of the Housing First principle in Finland. Juha explains why his country chose to adopt this approach, how their housing services provide dignified support to residents, and what other jurisdictions can do to decrease the rate and severity of homelessness in their population.  
 
Guest
Juha Kahila, Head of International Affairs, Y-Säätiö (Y-Foundation)
Host
Sarah Rowe, Legal Counsel, Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ)

Guaranteeing the right to housing on its own misses a key overlapping concern: whether the housing is actually accessible. Despite the federal government's goal of achieving a barrier-free Canada by 2040, many people continue to face barriers in securing housing that meets their accessibility needs and are twice as likely to live in core housing need.
In the third episode of this series, host Sarah Rowe is joined by Marie-Josée Houle, Canada's first Federal Housing Advocate, and Stephanie Chipeur, who holds the Azrieli Accelerator Professorship in Law & Disability Policy at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Law and the School of Public Policy. Together, they discuss the right to adequate housing that is accessible, adaptable, and visitable for people with disabilities, seniors, and other equity-deserving groups.
 
Guests
Stephanie Chipeur, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law & School of Public Policy, University of Calgary
Marie-Josée Houle, Federal Housing Advocate
Host
Sarah Rowe, Legal Counsel, Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ)

In 2019, the Canadian government recognized housing as a fundamental human right through the National Housing Strategy Act; however, in the years that have followed, housing affordability has only worsened for low- to moderate-income households. While this Act requires the federal government to address homelessness and core housing need, Canadian housing policies continue to benefit primarily those seeking profit and returns on investment.
In this second episode, host Sarah Rowe is joined by lawyer Michèle Biss, Executive Director of the National Right to Housing Network, and political economist Ricardo Tranjan, senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Together, they discuss the impact of financialization and the importance of implementing both social housing and rent controls to ensure that our housing system protects the most vulnerable.
 
Guest
Michèle Biss, Executive Director, National Right to Housing Network
Ricardo Tranjan, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Host
Sarah Rowe, Legal Counsel, Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ)
 
SERIES OVERVIEW
Left Out in the Cold
A podcast series from CIAJ's In All Fairness channel
Over the past several years, housing has emerged as a hot-button issue in Canadian discourse. How is affordability defined? Why are Indigenous peoples more likely to lack adequate housing? Is housing policy adequately addressing accessibility needs?
Left Out in the Cold aims to answer these and other questions over the course of this series. Hosted by Sarah Rowe, Legal Counsel at CIAJ, this series features conversations with legal and policy experts and community advocates on issues facing the Canadian housing sector. Each episode balances conversations about high-level legislative frameworks with the on-the-ground realities of everyday Canadians. Join us in these conversations as we try to root out the causes of housing insecurity in this country.
Episode 1 | Left Out in the Cold – Barriers to Adequate Housing and How Indigenous Housing Organizations are Filling the Gaps (Guests: Justin Marchand & Margaret Pfoh)
Episode 2 | Left Out in the Cold – Advancing the Right to Housing while Financialization Pulls the Strings (Guests: Michèle Biss & Ricardo Tranjan)