Since its ratification by Canada in 1991, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has increasingly been cited by Canadian courts at all levels and referenced by advocates in cases involving the rights and interests of children. Use of the Convention in legal analysis is mandated by law. Effective implementation of children’s legal rights is necessary to achieve the objective of access to justice for children found in the CBA’s recent equal justice for all reports. This webinar will provide an overview of the Convention, highlight the key cases and provide tips on how the Convention and its supporting documents, including Optional Protocols, General Comments and Concluding Observations, can assist advocates for children to develop helpful practices, and submissions to courts and legislators, that further the rights of children guaranteed by the Convention.

SPEAKERS:

The Hon. Donna Martinson, Q.C. is a retired Justice of the British Columbia Supreme Court who is now a Visiting Scholar at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law and an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University School of Criminology. She co-chairs a Children, Law and Human Rights Initiative aimed at improving access to justice for children.

Cheryl Milne is the Chair of the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children and the Executive Director of the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. She was also counsel with the legal clinic, Justice for Children and Youth, where she led significant test cases on the rights of children.

Mary Birdsell is Executive Director of Justice for Children and Youth, an organization that provides legal representation for children and young people under 18 years of age, as well as legal education and test case litigation that further child and youth rights.

CHAIR:

Gavin Kotze, Chair of the Children’s Law Section of CBANB