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In some countries, judges are elected and affiliated with political parties. Here, they are appointed by the government of the day. Traditionally, the idea has been that they should be non-partisan, independent, and make decisions based on the law and the merits of the case. So, when Premier Doug Ford recently indicated that he wanted to appoint ,like-minded, judges to sit in Ontario courtrooms, the hackles went up in the legal community and beyond. For insight, we welcome: Michael Spratt, partner at the Ottawa criminal law firm Abergel Goldstein & Partners. He's served as a director of the Criminal Lawyers' Association; Mitch Heimpel, director of policy at the public affairs firm, Enterprise Canada;and Joanna Baron, executive director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Michael Spratt, criminal defence lawyer and legal commentator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alan speaks with Michael Spratt, Lawyer and Partner with AGP LLP. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
So, episode 133 – a new record. But you know that right? Because you subscribe to the show and have already rated and reviewed the podcast – right? You should.After almost a month of inflicting harm and havoc in Ottawa, the extremist trucker protest is over. But the lawless takeover of Canada's capital city and the dramatic police action required to restore peace were troubling tests of our democracy. The occupiers inflicted prolonged and unrelenting harm on an entire city.It seemed to take the federal government invoking the Emergencies Act to end the siege. Make no mistake, resort to the Emergencies Act is an admission of failure. A failure by the police to maintain public peace, a failure by the city and province to take the threat to our democracy and safety seriously, and a failure of federal leaders to engage in an honest discussion about the fundamental inequities in our society.But the occupation is over, and now the court cases begin.This episode we break down Canada's bail system and take a closer look at why the leaders of the occupation, Pat King and Tamara Lich, were denied bail and remain behind bars.You can read Pat Kings bail decision herePlease visit www.ottawafund.ca to learn more about the class action lawsuit against the truckers and how you can help!You can read Michael's take on the troubling reaction to the occupation by some in the law community here: Did Canada become a police state after the protest in Ottawa? HardlyRemember, you can self-isolate in The Docket's Discord chatroom. Join the Discord channel, take part in the ongoing chat, and listen to live recordings with this link: https://discord.gg/2TzUamZAnd as always, a huge thanks to my firm Abergel Goldstein & Partners who have not murdered me for editing the podcast at work!Subscribe to The Docket on iTunes or you favourite podcast app to get the latest episode pumped straight into your earbuds. If you like the show your subscriptions, comments and ratings really help us (so do that and then do it on your friends computer too).Emilie Taman on Twitter: @EmilieTamanMichael Spratt on Twitter: @msprattIf you like show spread the word.Enjoy
Ottawa criminal defense lawyer Michael Spratt takes questions on donors; mischief charges; how long police can pursue illegal activity; hate groups; hackers; US donors; convoy lawyers; and implications for other protests.
Jeff speaks with Michael Spratt, Criminal defense lawyer and Partner with Abergel Goldstein and Partners.
Alan speaks with Michael Spratt, Criminal lawyer and Partner at Abergel Goldstein and Partners, See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A lot of us came to law school to leave our footprint in the world. There is arguably no better person to talk to about this than the one and only Michael Spratt. Michael joins us to talk about employing your legal skills for the sake of community education, participation, and engagement so that you can make positive changes on issues that you are passionate about. Come learn about everything he's involved with outside of his legal practice to make a difference in Canada, from testifying in the House of Commons to hosting an award-winning podcast. It's a lot of work, but the key to succeeding in this can really be boiled down to a couple of things: steadily build up your reputation, strike a healthy work-life balance and love what you do.
1:04 | Ottawa-based lawyer Michael Spratt explains how sidewalk chalk is a lawful part of peaceful protest, despite what Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan may claim. 50:30 | Ryan reviews Real Talkers' responses to the latest Get Real: Question of the Week on the lifting of pandemic health measures in Alberta, presented in partnership with Y Station. 1:16:21 | Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Alberta analyzes Alberta Health Services' plan to cut nurses wages by 4%, what it means for healthcare and why the nurses union is set to demonstrate on August 11, 2021. 1:33:10 | Cultural sensitivity trainer Bob Joseph calls for the Indian Act to be rescinded after highlighting reasons why, which are all found in his national bestselling book, 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act. 2:20:39 | #Positive Reflections presented by @KubyEnergy
Michael Spratt reflects on the Justin Trudeau blackface photos, debates mandatory minimum penalties, comments on Ottawa's troubled LRT system, and talks about his award-winning podcast, The Docket.
There are a million stories in the Doug Ford era of provincial governance, and covering them all isn't easy. One of the stories that has perhaps fallen through the cracks is the cuts to Legal Aid Ontario. In April's provincial budget, funding to legal aid was cut by 30 per cent, and all $133 million of that took effect immediately. So now what? Thousands of people who count as Ontario's most vulnerable - including drug addicts, people with mental health issues, victims of domestic abuse, and people who live in poverty - desperately needed the access that legal aid provides. Without quality legal assistance, these cuts could mean a greater chance of miscarriages of justice, and a much slower court system as more people are forced to represent themselves. The quality and speed of our justice system should be a major cause for concern to everyone in Ontario, at least that's what the lawyers themselves are trying to make us understand, and two of those lawyers are guests on this week's podcast. First, you'll hear from criminal lawyer Michael Spratt, a partner at Abergel Goldstein & Partners LLP in Ottawa, and then you'll hear from Anthea Millikin, the executive director of the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County. From Spratt, you'll hear about the negative consequences of legal aid cuts from his point of view as a criminal attorney who argues cases for clients who receive legal aid. You'll also hear about the complexities of being a legal aid attorney, what people may not understand about the legal system, and why it’s full speed ahead on these cuts even though the government is full of lawyers that should know better. After that, you'll hear from Millikin about how the cuts are directly affecting the work being done out of our own legal clinic. So let's dive into why our legal aid system is needing some aid of it's own on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast! You can read more of Spratt’s writings about the law and politics on his blog. You can also listen to his podcast, The Docket, by downloading it from Soundcloud, or subscribe on iTunes. To access the services of Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County, you can find them online, call them at 519-821-2100, or visit their office at 176 Wyndham St N. The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify. Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.
Alan discusses Doug Ford's offer of legal aid with criminal lawyer Michael Spratt, and then reviews a challenging interview, a book interview in 2015 with then private citizen Doug Ford. Alan gives background and context that led to the conversation this Monday with Premier Ford. Also on the show, Alan covers news of the PEI "Green Wave" with Toronto Star's Susan Delacourt, The Economic 'bet' put out by Trump, and Canada's economic forecast with Associate Professor at Carleton's Sprout school of business, Ian Lee. He finishes with the provocative question.. should we just give up hockey, letting Tim ‘The Coach' Cunningham set him back on the path to the love of hockey.
MP O'Toole sits down with prominent criminal lawyer and co-host of The Docket legal podcast, Michael Spratt, to discuss the legal and political issues at the heart of the SNC-Lavalin corruption scandal that has plagued the Trudeau government in recent months.
In this interview, recorded on Monday, June 18, 2018, Ian Bushfield executive director of the BC Humanist Association speaks with Wes McMillan who served as pro-bono counsel for the BCHA at the Supreme Court of Canada and with Michael Spratt, cohost of the Canadian legal podcast The Docket. They discuss the Supreme Court of Canada's recent ruling that upholds the decision by law societies in Ontario and BC to reject a proposed law school at Trinity Western University. TWU is an evangelical school here in BC that requires all students to sign a community covenant that forbids sex outside a heterosexual marriage. The law societies rejected the proposed school as a means of ensuring equal access to the bar for LGBTQ people. The decision is historic for its recognition of the importance of fighting homophobia and for the limits of what can be claimed under religious freedom. Ultimately the majority found that the harm to the LGBTQ community outweighed the impact on the religious freedom claimed by TWU and its supporters. Specifically the majority wrote, “Being required by someone else's religious beliefs to behave contrary to one's sexual identity is degrading and disrespectful.” To read more about our work on this case and our other efforts to defend secularism and human rights, visit bchumanist.ca Read more about the decision at https://www.bchumanist.ca/humanists_react_to_twu_decision
We dive into the MSP Task Force report with Lindsay Tedds and play part of an interview with The Docket’s Michael Spratt and BC Humanist Association pro-bono counsel Wes McMillan on the Supreme Court of Canada’s TWU decision. Plus a litany of quick takes from a surprisingly busy week. Check out our partner! BC Today is... The post Ep 91: Dogwood Benefits for TWU appeared first on PolitiCoast.
It is like deja vu all over again as The Docket Podcast returns to an episode-by-episode examination of a real life crime docu-series. Only this time its all about The Staircase instead of Making A Murderer.In December 2001, novelist Michael Peterson called 911 to report that his wife Kathleen had fallen down a narrow twisting set of stairs and died. The prosecution and police did not believe it was an accident and soon Peterson found himself charged with his wife murder. The trial that follows was one of the most bizarre, prejudicial, and high profile court cases of the century.And now the 2004 French television miniseries by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade documenting the trial of Michael Peterson is available on Netflix - with 3 new bonus episodes.Join us - criminal defence lawyer Michael Spratt and former federal prosecutor and law professor Emilie Taman - as we dissect The Staircase chapter-by-chapter. Each podcast we will break down the legal strategy, evidentiary issues, and give our opinions on the case - with a Canadian twist.In Chapter 1: Crime or Accident, we look at the role that wealth and privilege plays in Peterson's defence, discuss police tunnel vision, and give our initial impressions on the investigation. We are going to try to keep each podcast spoiler free about what follows but what quickly emerges is a story about how the presumption of innocence is constantly under attack by police and District Attorneys intent on securing a conviction at all costs. Ultimately, The Staircase is about every accused person in the United States, Canada, or anywhere. It's about what it's like to be confronted by the full resources of the State when your life hangs in the ballance.
The Docket's Michael Spratt fills Etienne's comically large shoes for today's episode, discussing phone calls with Doug Ford, justice policy, and parliamentary committees.
Special Note: Emile Taman and Michael Spratt have both been nominated for Canada's top 25 most influential lawyers: vote for them here!Is it a criminal offence to lick an opponent during a hockey game? After Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand licked Tampa Bay Lightning's Ryan Callahan during a play off game this is a burning issue. So, Emilie and I dive into the law around consent fights and look at fighting in sport. Why can someone consent to bodily harm on the ice but not off it? What is the legal standard for proving an assault? And when is a lick a sexual assault?But we lead off the episode on a much more important topic - the tragic case of Hassan Diab who was order extradited to France for his alleged role in the bombing of a Paris synagogue. The evidence was weak and a secret government memo uncovered by the CBC reveals that Canada helped France patch up its case and actively withheld evidence that could have shown Diab's innocence.Diab never did face trial in France. After 38 months of solitary confinement in a French dungeon, after missing the birth of his daughter, after losing years of his life, Diab was released and all charges were dropped by a French judge.Emile and I discuss why Diab should never had been extradited in the first place and why the Canadian judge did not have the power to throw out a shockingly weak case.And we end with a short conversation about the Toronto van attack and why there have been no terrorism charges.
This week's podcast features our Windsor Law colleague, Dr. Anneke Smit. Anneke's work is currently focused on her research and activism on immigration, and in particular, refugee rights. This conversation was recorded last fall, when Anneke was a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Migration Law in Amsterdam, giving her a European vantage point on the refugee crisis that is roiling in European governments. The conversation centres around themes of family reunification, refugee integration, and whether Canada is doing enough to maintain its reputation as a place that welcomes those fleeing war and persecution. In other news, SCC chief Robert Wagner focuses on the need for reform in the judicial complaints process; Canadian Lawyer Mag considers the state of legal education; and Michael Spratt of The Docket speaks out on the problem with the "innocent until proven guilty" outcry against sexual assault/harassment allegations. More on this episode on our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/welcome-to-canada/
The Supreme Court of Canada in October issued its decision in R v. Tran, a case which Peter litigated. Deanna, Peter and Steve discuss the issues that the Supreme Court addressed in this landmark decision, including whether conditional sentences are terms of imprisonment for the purposes of deportation and retrospectivity in law. This was the first of two Supreme Court cases that Peter arguedin Ottawa this year. While he was in Ottawa for the second case, he joined Michael Spratt and Emilie Taman, the creators of the Docket, a fantastic podcast about criminal law in Canada. Peter, Emilie and Michael discussed all sorts of issues regarding the intersection of immigration and criminal law, and Peter even explained how he got into practicing immigration law,
Ian’s back in Ottawa this week so we have a double-crossover episode! First up, apologies to the LGBTQ community and the new Supreme Court of Canada pick with Michael Spratt & Emilie Taman of The Docket. Then Bill Morneau death watch and secret votes on derelict vessels with The Boys in Short pants. Find The... The post Ep 64: The Docket in Short Pants Crossover appeared first on PolitiCoast.
"It's always the judgiest people and the most morally superior people who are felled by their own morals." Annamaria Enenajor and Michael Spratt are on Safe Space this week to talk about pot legislation, the landmark Jordan ruling and whether it's the end of Bill O'Reilly.
What happens when three lawyers try to argue with Jesse Brown? Former trial lawyer Sandy Garossino, criminal defence counsel Michael Spratt, and federal prosecutor Emilie Taman talk about how the media should really report about the courts. Support CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why do progressives view your money as tax money to be taken? Why do they have trouble facing up to reality on terrorism? It comes down to worldview. Brian explains the progressive view of taxes. On terror he talks to war correspondent Matthew Fisher about what he is seeing in Brussels and to liberal columnist Warren Kinsella on why he disagrees with Trudeau and Dion on Canada being at war. Defence lawyer Michael Spratt joins in on the topic of carding by police and Brian takes your calls. Oh, and for fun, Connie Bernardi on upcoming concerts, music and how it has changed since we were young.
Michael Spratt. Lawyer for Michael Charron and partner at Abergel, Goldstein and Partners law firm in Ottawa. Michael Charron is trying to obtain a "record suspension" (of his conviction) sooner than is now possible after the Conservative government changed the criminal pardons option in an omnibus crime bill. Michael Charron has changed his life from the days he dealt and used drugs (he was convicted after selling cocaine to an undercover police officer). Today Michael Charron is clean, back at school and looking to build a productive life. His criminal record is a considerable encumbrance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.