Verdicts & Voices

When the Supreme Court of Canada created a new tort of intimate-partner violence in May 2026, family lawyers Shelley Hounsell and Vanessa Lam joined us to contemplate its likely effects. Four months later, we check in to see how things are working out.Among the questions on the agenda: Is this proving to be merely a remedy for rich people? What is the role of expert witnesses? And should these claims be folded into family law proceedings or treated as distinct civil matters?Shelley Hounsell of Presse Mason in Halifax is back, along with Tiffany Paulsen of Robertson Stromberg in Saskatoon, and Joanna Radbord of McCarthy Hansen & Company in Toronto.Links:Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16A turning point for a tort of family violence (Verdicts & Voices S4:E14)Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawford keeps listeners up to date on news, views, and stories about the law and the justice system in Canada.Views expressed are not necessarily those of the CBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As artificial intelligence keeps evolving, so do the ways of using and misusing it in the courts. To kick off our new season, University of Ottawa expert Amy Salyzyn joins the show to explain everything from prompt injection attacks to shadow AI, and how the human beings who work in Canada’s justice system are handling the challenge.For more on AI and the law, listen to past episodes about hallucinated cases, racial bias in AI, and the first Canadian judge to encounter AI-generated fake citations.Also, check out AI in Practice, a monthly CBA webinar series that examines AI in the Canadian legal context.Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawford keeps listeners up to date on news, views, and stories about the law and the justice system in Canada.Views expressed are not necessarily those of the CBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How should Canadian courts incorporate Indigenous cultural and legal practices? Why might some judges be reluctant to do so? And are we moving toward a tri-jural system in which Indigenous legal orders exist alongside civil and common law? To mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, we’re replaying a discussion from June 2025 with two chief justices for whom these questions are front and centre: Leonard Marchand of the BC and Yukon Courts of Appeal and Glenn Joyal of the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench.  Notes: Chief Justice Joyal’s Announcement of the Court of Queen’s Bench’s Trust, Reconciliation and Access to Justice Committee British Columbia Court of Appeal Reconciliation Framework CBA submission to the BC Supreme Court’s Reconciliation Working Group Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawford keeps listeners up to date on news, views, and stories about the law and the justice system in Canada. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the CBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this final episode of the spring, three law students discuss their reasons for studying law, their first forays into law firms, and their impressions of a changing profession and a tumultuous world. See you in September! Maria Kalapurayil just graduated from the University of Alberta. Sophie Poitras has one year under her belt at the Université de Moncton. And with one year to go at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, Justine Morin-Laporte chairs CBA Quebec’s student section. Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawford keeps listeners up to date on news, views, and stories about the law and the justice system in Canada. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the CBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1976, when Harvey Brownstone told his mother he was gay, she became “volcanic” and kicked him out of the house. He spent five years on welfare, without stealing – much. Somehow, though, he got a law degree from Queens, clerked for a young Rosalie Abella, and became Canada’s first openly gay judge in 1995. Now, in retirement, his celebrity interview show has 70 000 YouTube subscribers, and the memoir he just released is being made into a movie starring David Arquette. As Pride season begins, Harvey joins the pod to discuss his cinematic life, the clubby Canadian legal world of the late 20th century, and the role of the judge as public educator. Notes: Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge by Harvey Brownstowne Harvey Brownstown Interviews… Find out about CBA Pride initiatives and the CBA’s Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance Section (SAGDA)   Verdicts & Voices is a legal current affairs podcast presented by the Canadian Bar Association. With her retinue of expert guests, host Alison Crawford keeps listeners up to date on news, views, and stories about the law and the justice system in Canada. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the CBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.