Speech at Ryerson University Moderated By Fifth Estate Host Mark Kelly CBC
September 22, 2016: Schaeffer Minty Supreme Court of Canada Judgment: Click Here.
Julian Falconer spoke as a panelist at an event hosted by the Ryerson University Centre for Free Expression entitled, “Why the Secrecy? Police Conduct & the Public’s Right to Know”.
The event explored tensions between the public’s interest in transparency and accountability in policing, versus concerns for privacy and confidentiality on such matters as investigations conducted by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The panel discussion was moderated by host of the CBC’s The Fifth Estate, Mark Kelley, and was very well attended by academics, students, journalists, lawyers and community members.
With particular reference to the cases of Odhavji Estate v. Woodhouse, [2003] 3 S.C.R. 263, 2003 SCC 69, and Wood v. Schaeffer, 2013 SCC 71, [2013] 3 S.C.R. 1053, Julian’s remarks focused on highlighting the role that previous disclosures from the SIU have made in driving change towards creating increased police accountability and transparency to the benefit of all civilians.
Other panelists included:
- Pascale Diverlus, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto
- David Goodis, Assistant Commissioner, Information and Privacy Commission of Ontario
- Joanne Mulcahy, Criminal Defence Lawyer, specializing in the defence of police officers
Why the Secrecy? Police Conduct and the Public’s Right to Know Ryerson University Centre, September 22, 2016