Tobacco on Trial: An Overview of the Major Phases of Tobacco Litigation in Canada, From Provincial Healthcare Recovery Lawsuits to the 2025 National Settlement
Monday, March 30, 2026, from 4:00 - 5:30PM
This year's iteration of the interdisciplinary panel featured Bruce Johnston, counsel for the Quebec class-action plaintiffs, who represented victims through more than two decades of litigation, Dr. Jack听Siemiatycki, epidemiologist, cancer researcher, and key expert witness, and Cynthia Callard, the former executive director of physicians for a smoke-free Canada, and author of the 鈥淓ye on the Trials鈥� blog.听
This event explored the decades-long saga of tobacco litigation in Canada, which culminated in a historic听$32.5 billion听settlement鈥攖he largest in Canadian history鈥攖hrough the perspectives of individuals directly involved in the proceedings.听Bringing together speakers from legal, scientific and community听perspectives, the discussion examined how the litigation unfolded over time, how scientific evidence on smoking-related diseases were developed and presented in court, and how it was received by the defendants, the judiciary and the general public.听听More broadly, the discussion offered insights into the complex interplay between public health evidence and large-scale class-action litigation.听
The Food Affordability Crisis in Quebec and Canada: Interdisciplinary and Community Perspectives
Monday, March 24, 2025, from 1PM - 2:30PM
The issue of food affordability is a longstanding challenge that has become more apparent in the current economic climate. This panel, co-organized with the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism at 成人VR视频, explored the legal, sociological and community perspectives on root causes, impacts, and paths toward addressing food affordability and food security more broadly.
Thanks to our panellists Fran莽ois Fournier, Prof. Sarah Berger Richardson, and Wade Thorhaug for participating!
Le futur des soins aux a卯n茅s au Qu茅bec dans la p茅riode post-pand茅mique
31 mars 2022, 16h-17h (Montreal Time)
Nos pan茅listes pour l'ann茅e 2022 furent Dr Nicole Ouellet, Me Patrick Martin-M茅nard & M. Danis Prud鈥檋omme. La conf茅rence s'est d茅roul茅e principalement en fran莽ais, suivi d'une discussion bilingue.听
La pand茅mie de COVID-19 a remis 脿 l鈥檃vant-plan le besoin pressant de se questionner sur notre approche des soins de sant茅 prodigu茅s aux a卯n茅s. Saurons-nous tirer des le莽ons de cette crise ? Quelles sont les r茅formes n茅cessaires qui permettront d鈥檃m茅liorer les politiques publiques en mati猫re de qualit茅 des soins de longue dur茅e touchant directement les a卯n茅s les plus vuln茅rables, lourdement affect茅s par les retomb茅es de la pand茅mie? Le Panel interdisciplinaire a port茅 un regard multidisciplinaire sur cette difficile mais urgente question sous l鈥檃ngle du droit de la sant茅, des sciences infirmi猫res et de la gestion des droits et int茅r锚ts de la communaut茅 des a卯n茅s.
New or normal: Privacy,鈥� Public听Health鈥� and the Pandemic听
Mercredi 14 janvier 2021, de 16h 脿 18, en ligne
The RGHL hosted its first online event, an interdisciplinary panel on the intersection of privacy and public health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcomed Professors Anne Andermann (Faculty of Medecine) and Ignacio Cofone (Faculty of Law) from 成人VR视频, and Professor Khaled El Emam (Faculty of Medecine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health) from the University of Ottawa. The panel was moderated by Professors Lara Khoury and& Alana Klein.
For an overview of the questions discussed, you may consult our听 
Interdisciplinary Panel Context Document.
With a rich Q&A and an attendance of over 70 participants from across the country, the event was a success. Thank you to our panellists and to听all those who attended!
The Faculty magazine Focus online Law covered the event: "" (January 2021).
Egg Freezing: Freedom or Burden
Mercredi 12 f茅vrier 2020, de 17h30 脿 19h, salle 200, Nouveau Pavillon Chancellor-Day
The RGHL hosted an interdisciplinary panel on egg freezing, where Professor Vardit Ravinsky, Dr Karen Buzaglo, and Dr Katie Hammond discussed the legal, ethical and medical debates surrounding social egg freezing from a Canadian viewpoint. The panel was moderated by Professor Alana Klein.
Over 60 people from the legal and academic communities attended the event.
Merci 脿 nos pan茅listes pour leur participation!
Tackling the Opioid Crisis
25 September 2018, 17:00-18:30, NCDH 312
The Research Group in Health and Law welcomed Me Louis Letellier de St-Just (Cactus Montr茅al), Caroline Hosatte-Ducassy (MUHC resident) and Dr. Nicholas B. King (成人VR视频 Biomedical Ethics Unit) for a conversation about the health, social and legal issues surrounding the opioid epidemic, as well as possible steps to deal with this crisis moving forward.
La loi P-38 : un levier ou un obstacle en sant茅 mentale?
22 f茅vrier 2017, 16h-18h, NCDH 312
Panel organis茅 par le Groupe de recherche sant茅 et droit en collaboration avec VISEV (脡quipe Vuln茅rabilit茅, int茅gration sociale et violence), avec la participation d'Emmanuelle Bernheim, Jean-Luc Dubreucq et Chad Chouinard.
搁茅蝉耻尘茅
La Loi sur la protection des personnes dont l鈥櫭﹖at mental pr茅sente un danger pour elles-m锚mes ou pour autrui est m茅connue et controvers茅e.听 Ce panel interdisciplinaire permettra une discussion des perspectives juridique, clinique et du v茅cu exp茅rientiel sur l鈥檃pplication de cette loi d鈥檈xception. La Protectrice du citoyen ayant identifi茅 des lacunes dans la mise en 艙uvre de la loi P-38, il est n茅cessaire de se questionner ensemble sur son utilisation en sant茅 mentale.
Les recours collectifs qu茅b茅cois contre les fabricants de cigarettes ou le r么le des litiges judiciaires dans la poursuite d'objectifs de sant茅 publique
25 novembre 2015, 16h15-18h, NCDH 312-316
Me Jean St-Onge, Mme Cynthia Callard et Dr Alain Poirier.
Ce panel interdisciplinaire s'est pench茅 sur le r么le des litiges judiciaires dans la poursuite d'objectifs de sant茅 publique, en portant une attention particuli猫re sur les deux recours collectifs qu茅b茅cois contre les fabricants de cigarettes qui se sont sold茅s par un jugement conjoint en faveur des requ茅rants pour la somme de 15 milliards de dollars en mai 2015 (L茅tourneau c. JTI-Macdonald Corp. et Conseil qu茅b茅cois sur la sant茅 et le tabac c. JTI-Macdonald Corp.). L'affaire est pr茅sentement en appel.
Cette d茅cision et la question g茅n茅rale du r么le des litiges judiciaires dans la poursuite d'objectifs de sant茅 publique seront envisag茅es sous la lorgnette du droit, de la sant茅 publique et des politiques publiques.
Cette d茅cision et la question g茅n茅rale du r么le des litiges judiciaires dans la poursuite d'objectifs de sant茅 publique ont 茅t茅 envisag茅s par nos trois panelistes: Me , associ茅, Lavery, un juriste sp茅cialis茅 dans les recours collectifs; Dr , VP d茅veloppement scientifique et communications de l'Institut national de sant茅 publique du Qu茅bec, et professeur 脿 l'脡cole de sant茅 publique,听Universit茅 de Montr茅al, un m茅decin sp茅cialis茅 en sant茅 publique; et Mme Cynthia Callard, directrice executive de Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, une sp茅cialiste des politiques publiques.
T茅l茅chargez un r茅sum茅 en anglais [.pdf] ou un r茅sum茅 en fran莽ais [.pdf], le texte complet de la d茅cision听[.pdf] dans le cadre des deux recours collectifs qu茅b茅cois, ou encore les trois documents ensemble [.pdf]. Voyez l'annonce de l'茅v茅nement pour les biographies des conf茅renciers.
Banning food ads aimed at children: Is Quebec鈥檚 regulatory model still cutting-edge?
22 January 2014
For its 2014 Interdisciplinary Panel, the 成人VR视频 Research Group on Health and Law invited Bill Jeffery, National Coordinator, Centre for Science in the Public Interest; Dr. Kristin Voigt, Institute for Health and Social Policy and Dept of Philosophy, 成人VR视频; and Dr. Monique Potvin Kent, Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa (see the calendar entry for biographies).
Abstract
For more than 30 years, Quebec has had some of the strictest consumer protection legislation in the world, banning commercial advertising directed at children under the age of 13. The Supreme Court of Canada famously upheld the ban as a justifiable restriction on freedom of speech in the 1989 decision in Irwin Toy v. Quebec (Attorney General), chiefly because of children鈥檚 unique vulnerability to advertising.
A current private member鈥檚 bill would seek to expand Quebec鈥檚 approach to Ontario. Further jurisdictions also look to Quebec as a model. Yet, restrictions on food advertising to children continue to attract controversy, with disputes over their effectiveness in curbing diet-related illness among children; their scope; their flexibility in the age of new forms of media and marketing; and their value in relation to industry-led approaches.
This interdisciplinary panel explored legal, ethical, social science and policy dimensions of restrictions on food advertising to children, with a focus on the role of evidence in crafting public health policy and regulating industry practice.
Sex Work, Rights, and the Criminal Law: Reflections on Bedford v. Canada
31 October 2012
Over 100 students, lawyers, professors and stakeholders attented the RGHL's interdisciplinary panel for the 2012-2013 academic year. Read about the .
The panel, moderated by Professor Alana Klein (leftmost), brought together three panelists from different professional settings to address various issues associated with the Ontario Court of Appeal's decision in Bedford v. Canada.听
Our panelists were Professor Daniel Weinstock, Faculty of Law, 成人VR视频; Ms Tara Santini, Member of Stella and Consultant for Stella for Intervening Sex Worker Coalition in Bedford v. Canada; and Professor Alan N. Young, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, and counsel in Bedford v. Canada.
The Risks and Promises of Pharmacogenetics and Personalized Medicine: An Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion
5 October 2011
This well-attended and enlightening panel discussion brought together four panelists hailing from different academic areas and professional settings to address various issues associated with pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine. Professor Richard Gold was the moderator.
Specifically, we were interested in initiating a conversation about the science behind this innovation, its promises, and about cross-cutting issues (e.g., legal, social, ethical, and economic) emerging from this technique's application in healthcare oriented towards personalized medicine.
Panelists each tackled a case study that outlined a series of facts which discuss a fictitious drug used in the context of personalized medicine (this case study was distributed to all those in attendance at the panel). This case study raised diverse issues intended to highlight interdisciplinary challenges and called upon multifaceted expertise.
Panelists:
Jennifer Fishman, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Ethics Unit and Department of Social Studies of Medicine, 成人VR视频
Yann Joly, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, 成人VR视频
Agnes V. Klein, Director, Health Products & Food Branch, Health Canada
Michael Phillips, Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Translational Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacogenomics Centre, Universit茅 de Montr茅al
Download: Pharmacogenetics Panel Poster.
