Charter of Rights

Recent alumnus David Asper (LLM '07) has made a $7.5 million gift to the law school to establish the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights.  David's gift is the largest contribution ever made by an individual to a law school in Canada. It will have a transformative effect on educational opportunities for students at our law school, and will play a vital role in articulating Canada's constitutional vision to the broader world.

Read the press release (PDF)

By: Jacob Ziegel

This commentary was first published in the National Post on May 26, 2011.

By: Ed Morgan

This commentary was first published in the Globe and Mail on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

The issue of public subsidies for political parties resurfaced Friday, with Stephen Harper promising to eliminate funding if he achieves a parliamentary majority. Those with a three-year memory span will recall that the Tories were nearly defeated by the combined opposition when they proposed this move in 2008.

By: Renu Mandhane

This commentary was first published in the Ottawa Citizen on April 18, 2011.

The inquest into the 2007 death of Ashley Smith while in federal custody, now set to start in May, could last several months. Ashley died due to the state's conviction that solitary confinement is a legitimate response to mental illness, coupled with systemic discrimination against female prisoners who have less access to treatment and are often incarcerated far from community support because of their low numbers.