THIRD LAW AND PARLIAMENT CONFERENCE, 2009
Day 1: Thursday 12 – 11 - 2009
Module 1: Social Function: Reception and Opening Dinner
18:00- 21:00
Ballroom East and Centre, 2nd floor,
University of Toronto Conference Facility, 85 Chestnut Street
Presentation of the 2009 Carswell Prize for Student Writing
Mr. Robert R. Walsh, General Editor, JPPL
Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, House of Commons
Ms. Rachel Francis, Director, Legal Market, Carswell
Mr. Cameron Suggitt, Product Development Editor, Carswell
Mr. Gregory Tardi, Executive Editor, JPPL
Senior Parliamentary Counsel (Legal), House of Commons
Mr. Steven Chaplin, Assistant Editor, JPPL
Principal Parliamentary Counsel (Legal), House of Commons
Ms. Stacey Saufert, Associate, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Ottawa
Chair, 2009 Carswell Prize Assessment Committee
INVITATION TO STUDENTS
The Institute of Parliamentary and Political Law has begun planning for the Third Law and Parliament Conference, to be held in the fall of 2009. Following up on the first two conferences held in 2004 and 2006 respectively, the timely theme of this gathering will be Parliament and Government: Partners and Adversaries. The conference will deal with the following topics, among others:
• Questions and Answers about Canadian Parliamentarianism.
- Canadian variant of the Westminster system.
- Americanization of Parliamentary politics.
- Question Period.
- Partisanship v. policy.
- Characterization of the nature of the confidence convention.
- Use of litigation as a Parliamentary tool.
- Distinguishing features of a minority Parliament.
• Developments in the legislative process.
• Private Members’ Public Bills.
• Spending legislation (The Royal recommendation).
• Recent developments in the law of Parliamentary privilege.
• Institutional developments relating to Parliament.
• Legislative-Executive relations as seen from Government.
• Legislative-Executive relations as seen from Parliament.
The Institute hopes to use the conference to develop both knowledge and public awareness of this
subject matter in an interdisciplinary and comparative manner. It is in this context that we would like to invite students to participate in an essay competition. Would you please make this message available to all students in your Faculty; those interested in participating in the conference are requested to contact the undersigned.
Students interested in the subject matter and enrolled in your Faculty on the date of this invitation are invited to a) send to the undersigned an expression of intent to submit by Monday, April 13, 2009, and b) prepare an essay of 12-15 single-spaced, word processed pages.
The deadline for submission of completed texts is Friday, July 31, 2009, at 5 p.m., Eastern time. A panel of officials of the Institute will select the best essay and advise the winning candidate. The author of the winning essay will be awarded the Carswell Prize for Student Writing, will receive the costs of transportation to, and lodging and food in Toronto, as well as free participation in the conference, but will receive no fee.
The winning essay will be published in the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law. Other essays may also be reserved for publication in subsequent issues of the Journal, on the basis of arrangements with the author.