Runnymede Radio

Discussion with Brian Bird, D.C.L. candidate at McGill's Faculty of Law and author of "Trinity Western and the erosion of religious freedom": why did the case of Trinity Western University's proposed law school occasion a 'clash of the titans' in the form of two powerhouse appellate courts, Ontario and B.C., disagreeing with each other substantively? How can courts balance claims to religious liberty with demands for equality under the Charter? What should we make of the suggestion that allowing Trinity a law school would reduce the overall number of spots for gay law students in Canada? We engage in rampant speculation about the SCC's future decision and consider broader theoretical implications of religious liberty in a pluralistic society. Runnymede now has an Amazon affiliate link! Simply follow runnymedesociety.ca/amazon, do your online shopping as you normally would, and a small percentage will support the Runnymede Society.

How has the Charter fundamentally changed Canadian politics? Discussion with Chief Justice (Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench) Glenn Joyal about Canada's founding ideological mélange and strands of liberal neutrality, communitarianism, and Westminster supremacy, the shift in political culture effectuated by the Charter, the notwithstanding clause, and how courts and legislatures can collaborate in articulating rights. CJ Joyal also responds to Leonid Sirota's critique of his speech. Text of Chief Justice Joyal's speech: http://www.ruleoflaw.ca/the-charter-and-canadas-new-political-culture-are-we-all-ambassadors-now/

Discussion with Teresa Bejan of Oriel College, Oxford about her 2017 book Mere Civility, which contrasts the views on the limits of toleration in a liberal society of John Rawls, Thomas Hobbes, and Roger Williams, and defends Williams' 'mere civility' which was based on "mutual contempt" rather than mutual respect. We also discuss recent events at Middlebury and Wellesley College, identity politics' want for epistemic humility, and 'free speech fundamentalism'. For more on Mere Civility, see this recent New York Times feature.

In the digital age, filter bubbles encourage conformity of opinion and confirmation bias. They discourage airing contrarian views-- both online and in person. A conversation with lawyer and journalist Lauren Heuser about the eroding culture of free speech, why polarizing figures like Milo Yiannopoulos should not be the mascots of free speech, and getting back to the real aims of open discourse for a free society. Read Lauren's Walrus piece here.

Law professor and longtime Volokh Conspiracy contributor Ilya Somin joins Runnymede Radio to make the case for open borders as favourable to both human freedom and economic prosperity. We touch on Trump's executive orders, the implications of the Trump administration's restrictionism for Canada's Safe Third Party Agreement, political ignorance and immigration, the reality of nationhood and reconciling immigration with shared civic values, and the political backlash against pro-immigration elites.

Leonid Sirota, Lecturer at AUT Law School in Auckland, New Zealand, and author of Double Aspect Blog, discusses originalism, the legal interpretive theory which posits that a law's original meaning should govern its subsequent interpretation and application. We discuss whether originalism has been rejected by Canadian courts, particularly the Supreme Court of Canada, the normative case for (and against) originalism, common criticisms, and why the 1L constitutional law staple Reference re Persons doesn't mean what you think it means. Dr. Sirota's talk at the Université de Montréal can be viewed here.

Joanna and Montreal lawyer, writer, and podcaster Daniel Goldwater discuss Canadian exceptionalism and whether Trumpist nativism could land on Canadian shores, the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting and why accused Alexandre Bisonette was charged with murder and not terrorism and half of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission's renunciation of that report's recommendations. As a bonus add-on: tackling the Andrew Potter affair (see the offending article here)!

Welcome to Runnymede Radio! Jordan Peterson discusses gender-neutral pronouns, the political uses of language, radical politics on university campuses, and why learning can be painful with Joanna Baron, Runnymede Society Director. Video of Prof. Peterson's debate, with Prof. Bruce Pardy at Queen's University Faculty of Law, can be viewed here.