Towards a Grand Assembly of Justice
Law and justice are issues affecting all spheres of today’s society. What are the expectations of citizens with regards to the laws and courts in Quebec?
With the collaboration of the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM) and in partnership with Éducaloi, the Institut québécois de réforme du droit et de la justice (Quebec Law and Justice Reform Institute – IQRDJ) is organizing a Grand Assembly of Justice which will take place during the winter of 2021. An online Citizen Forum, organized in the fall of 2020, will prepare the discussions of this Grand Assembly. The goal: to consult the general public on ways to adapt law and justice to the needs of Quebec’s society.
A Two-Phase Approach
On October 30, 2020, around sixty people will virtually come together to establish the themes that could be addressed during the Grand Assembly of Justice in the winter of 2021. The Forum will bring together:
- citizens selected from a call for applications, and showing an interest in law and/or justice;
- people appointed by the IQRDJ, a reference group made up of social actors from the legal, economic, labour and academic circles.
The Forum will take place online and will be the subject of a summary report which will be made public.
For more details on the conditions of participation, please refer to the call for applications.
Deadline: Sunday, October 26, 2020
In winter 2021, nearly 150 citizens will be invited to discuss, debate and vote for priorities in terms of research and potential reforms in law and justice that could inspire the IQRDJ. This major collective deliberation aims at shedding light on the research priorities of the IQRDJ.
Registrations for this consultation will be open to the public a few months prior to the event.
The results of the Grand Assembly will be made public through a summary report.
This activity will take place online or face to face, following public health recommendations.
Law and Justice, Everyone’s Business
Law brings together all the parameters necessary for the organization and functioning of life in a society. It defines the status of people and goods, regulates relations between people, as well as the relations of individuals with public authorities.
Life in modern society is framed by multiple rules. However, all these rules are restricted to the realm of law. We are used to talking about law when a specific rule was created by a public authority, when such rule is binding and must be observed subject to sanctions.
We commonly speak of law in the singular form, but there are several types of laws that come into play in different situations. For instance:
- the adoption of a child or the payment of alimony refers to family law;
- the signing of an employment contract or a pay equity dispute refers to labour law;
- behaviour and action prohibited by law, such as theft or murder, fall under criminal law;
- the problems that citizens encounter with government institutions, whether in matters of health care, social services, or others, refer to administrative law;
- the recognition of equality between people, the possibility of freedom of speech, and other rights are protected by human rights and freedoms, etc.
Several aspects of social life are thus governed by various legal rules. Adapting law and justice to the needs of citizens requires ensuring their participation in the process.
About the IQRDJ
Founded in 2018, the Quebec Law and Justice Reform Institute (Institut québécois de réforme du droit et de la justice – IQRDJ) is an independent research organization. It works for the continuous adaptation and updating of the legislation and the judicial system to contemporary reality and for greater access for citizens to law and justice.
The IQRDJ is funded in a way that ensures the autonomy and independence of its research. It mobilizes skills from all law schools in Quebec, or in other areas of knowledge, and places great emphasis on the expertise of practitioners. The interdisciplinary and comparative nature of its activities broadens the aims of legal research.
Its research documents the major orientations likely to serve as the basis of future legislation. Collaborating with organizations fulfilling the same mission across Canada and abroad, the Institute is particularly interested in the harmonization of laws, enlightened by the perspective of Quebec’s legal tradition.
The Institute gives key importance to public consultation, whenever its work requires a better understanding of social expectations in matters of law and justice. Its work is carried out in accordance with the rules of ethics in research. The Institute maintains permanent relations with all segments of the legal world and civil society, to ensure the social relevance of its work.
About the INM
The Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM) is an independent and non-partisan non-profit organization based in Montreal. Its mission aims at promoting the participation of citizens in Quebec’s democratic life.
Through its action, the INM encourages citizen participation, and contributes to the development of civic literacy, to the strengthening of social bonds, and to the advocacy of democratic institutions. The team behind the INM is driven by the belief that citizen participation bolsters democracy.
About Éducaloi
Éducaloi is a charitable organization that has played a leading role in improving access to justice since it was founded in 2000. Its core mission is to explain to Quebecers the law, their rights, and their responsibilities. To do this, Éducaloi has three main areas of focus: legal information, legal education, and the development of expertise in clear legal communication.
Contact person
Nicolas Vazeille
Project agent
514 934-5999 / 1 877 934-5999 extension 222
Email: nicolas.vazeille@inm.qc.ca
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