Results from Survey of Visible Minority Librarians in Canada

Last winter, the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada Network conducted a survey of visible minority librarians working in Canadian institutions.

Results have now been posted on the Scholars Portal Dataverse:

"Data were collected from January to March 2021 on visible minority librarians’ demographics, education, and employment situations. The survey was administered and distributed using Qualtrics in English and French."

"The user guide and results summary in this dataset presents aggregated data for 162 visible minority librarians from the English survey (138) and the French survey (24). Survey results will help ViMLoC identify the needs of visible minority librarians and propose projects to empower them in their current positions or their future career development. The data can be also useful to library administrators, librarians, and researchers working on multicultural issues, diversity, recruitment and retention, leadership, library management, and other related areas."

Profiles of Female Judges in Canada

The Canadian Bar Association has been running a project called Madam Justice that features profiles of female judges from all levels of the Canadian court system.

"The project is intended to celebrate diversity on the bench by showcasing advice and perspectives from women judges across Canada. The project is ongoing and we will be adding to the gallery over time."

One of the people featured is The Honourable Sheilah Martin, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Library of Parliament Research Publication on Transition to Canada's 44th Parliament

With the Canadian elections behind us and a new federal cabinet sworn in earlier today, the country will soon see the opening of the 44th federal Parliament.

To explain what happens during the transition from one Parliament to another, the Library of Parliament recently prepared a new publication on the topic.

From the introduction:

"This document consists of a series of questions and answers about issues concerning the transition from one Parliament to the next and, in particular, the transition from the 43rd to the 44th Parliament. It explains how parliamentary and government activities are affected during an election period and describes the situation of various key political players – the Governor General, the prime minister, ministers and members of the House of Commons – between the dissolution of one Parliament and the beginning of the next."

"A general election determines the composition of the House of Commons and results in one of a number of possible government configurations – usually, a majority or a minority government. This document considers the constitutional, conventional, and practical implications of these possibilities."

Research Study to Update Guidelines for the Education of Library Technicians

The following announcement was recently distributed on the listserv of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries:

"Attention Library Technician graduates!"

"You are being invited to participate in a research study to update the Canadian Federation of Library Association’s (CFLA-FCAB) Guidelines for the Education of Library Technicians. These Guidelines were last updated in 2011 and can be view here: https://cfla-fcab.ca/en/guidelines-and-position-papers/guidelines-for-the-education-of-library-technicians/  "

"The goal of this project is to provide a substantial update to the Guidelines for the Education of Library Technicians. This will help to establish a national standard for the education of library technicians in Canada, and a framework for the development of skills, knowledge, and abilities of library technicians to provide job-ready, and highly skilled graduates. The updated Guidelines will be available on the CFLA-FCAB website once completed and approved by the CFLA-FCAB Board."

"Link to survey: https://forms.gle/ziUTpNkDNjmCjasG9 "

"If you have any questions about the study, please contact Norene Erickson, ericksonn7 AT macewan.ca "

Supreme Court of Canada Calendar of November 2021 Hearings

The Supreme Court of Canada has published its calendar of upcoming appeals that will be heard in November 2021. 

To find out more about any particular case, click on the docket number in parentheses next to each case name to find docket information, case summaries as well as facta from the parties.

Welcome Ceremony for Supreme Court of Canada's Newest Justice

The Supreme Court of Canada will hold a welcome ceremony for its newest member, the Honourable Mr. Mahmud Jamal, at 2:30 p.m. ET on October 28, 2021. 

The public will be able to follow the even via live webcast.

Justice Jamal was officially sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court at a private ceremony at the Court on July 1, 2021.

The court website has more background information about Justice Jamal.

Yet Again, A Debate About the 'Librarian' Word

On November 4, 2021, members of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) are invited to a special meeting where a possible name change for the association will be on the agenda.

This is not the first library association to debate the matter of what we call ourselves. But the way, I am fine with "librarian" and "library". 

While researching the topic, I came across this article in Information Today, Librarians and Professional Labeling: What's in a Name?:

"At a recent professional meeting, I was dismayed to find myself witnessing yet another discussion on whether those present should call themselves “librarians.” The program that hosted this discussion opened with the observation that library spaces are shrinking in the post-pandemic world and the question of whether the participants might stop calling themselves librarians if they no longer work “in a [physical] library.” Everything I heard was a repetition of arguments I’ve heard over and over in the almost 50 years since I was working on my first professional degree (M.S., Drexel University, 1973–1975)."

"I’m sick of hearing debates about our professional labeling. The conversations usually generate more heat than light. Moreover, they distract us from the important questions we should be discussing and tasks we should be working on. With the hope of helping the profession move on, I offer the following brief historical survey and some fundamental premises for librarians who are making decisions about what professional label to adopt."

Earlier Library Boy posts on the issue include:

• Reflections on Rebranding of the American Association of Law Libraries (January 12, 2016)
• Town Hall to Change Name of Canadian Association of Law Libraries (March 29, 2021)

LawBytes Podcast on Canada’s Online Harms Legislative Plans

In the most recent LawBytes podcast, University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist talks to Taylor Owen from McGill University about the Canadian government's plans for Internet regulation:

"Facebook has once again found itself in the political spotlight as Frances Haugen, a former data scientist and product manager with the company turned whistleblower, provided the source documents for an explosive investigative series in the Wall Street Journal followed by an appearance before a U.S. Senate committee. The Facebook Files series comes just as Canada is moving toward its own legislative response to Internet concerns, with an online harms consultation  that provides a roadmap for future policies."

"The Canadian initiative has sparked widespread criticism, but recent events may only increase the calls for legislative action. Taylor Owen, the Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications in the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University joins the Law Bytes podcast to discuss the latest revelations and what they might mean for the future of Canadian Internet regulation."

Materials from October 14 Webinar on Negotiating With Vendors

Last week, the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) hosted a webinar called Savvy Negotiation Skills: A Toolkit for Law Librarians.

The speaker was Annette Demers, head of the Paul Martin Law Library at the University of Windsor and past president of CALL.

Demers has posted materials relating to her webinar on the website of Paul Martin Law Library.

Legal Skies Podcast Episode on New AI Classification System

The most recent episode on Legal Skies, a podcast produced by the Law Society of Saskatchewan, is about the use of artificial intelligence to classify legal information:

"In the latest episode of Legal Skies, we speak to guests Alan Kilpatrick, Co-Director of Legal Resources at the Law Society of Saskatchewan, and Sarah Sutherland, Director of Programs and Projects at CanLII, about artificial intelligence (AI) and legal information."

"Alan and Sarah discuss a recent project where forty years’ worth of Law Society case law subject headings were used to train CanLII’s ground-breaking AI machine learning algorithm. As a result of this training, the self-learning algorithm is now capable of independently generating subject classification headings for Saskatchewan case law. This exciting project has major ramifications for access to justice and legal innovation right across Canada."

Note: as of October 12, 2021 Sarah Sutherland is President and CEO of CanLII.

October 2021 Issue of In Session E-Bulletin of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries

The October 2021 issue of In Session is available online. 

It is the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) and contains news from CALL committees and special interest groups, member updates and events.

Alberta Law Reform Institute Report on Personal Property Security Act

The Alberta Law Reform Institute (ALRI) has published its final report on Personal Property Security Law:

"In this Report, ALRI recommends that Alberta amend the Personal Property Security Act [PPSA] through the implementation of recommendations proposed by the Canadian Conference on Personal Property Security Law [CCPPSL] in its 2017 Report (...)"

"Although the PPSA produced a significant improvement in the law, experience with the legislation over the course of the last three decades has revealed several instances where improvements or clarifications are desirable. In some cases, the need for reform is driven by technological advances. When the PPSA was first enacted, electronic banking and electronic commerce were in their infancy. The CCPPSL recommendations facilitate the move to paperless transactions. In some cases, judicial decisions have revealed ambiguities in the legislation that have produced uncertainty. The recommendations would correct these deficiencies. In other cases, the statute simply did not anticipate the kinds of controversies that would be litigated in the future, and therefore did not provide rules for the resolution of these types of disputes."

"The major areas of reform are summarized below:

• The choice of law rules are revised, and the method for determining the location of the debtor is changed so as to align with the new approach adopted in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario. This produces greater certainty in the law and avoids the deleterious effects of forum shopping that will inevitably arise if provinces and territories employ different choice of law rules.
• The rules that govern purchase-money security interests are clarified and expanded to provide greater guidance on this crucial form of financing. The changes enhance the ability of secured parties to claim purchase-money security interests in inventory, and preserve purchase-money security interest status in a refinancing.
• The rules governing the transfer of collateral to buyers and others are rationalized and improved.
• A number of uncertainties in the rules that determine priorities between secured parties and other competing claimants are clarified so as to produce greater certainty and predictability.
• The registration provisions are improved to better achieve the underlying goals of the registry system, namely the publication of information in a manner that will allow effective risk-assessment by affected parties.
• The concept of electronic chattel paper is introduced to facilitate paperless transactions where this form of property is sold or used as collateral.
• Secured financing is facilitated through amendments that clarify that valuable assets such as licences may be used as collateral, that eliminate red tape requirements that unnecessarily increase the administrative costs of secured finance, and that improve the ability of secured parties to take steps to protect their interest."

The Alberta Law Reform Institute was established on November 15, 1967 by the Government of Alberta, the University of Alberta and the Law Society of Alberta for the purposes, among others, of conducting legal research and recommending reforms in the law. Funding for ALRI’s operations is provided by the Government of Alberta, the University of Alberta and the Alberta Law Foundation.

University of Windsor Leddy Library Creates Story Map on Missing Children of Indian Residential Schools

The Leddy Library at the University of Windsor has created a story map of the Missing Children of Indian Residential Schools.

It is a visual representation of the 139 Indian residential school locations across Canada that uses data from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report to document the experience:

"The recent discoveries of more than 1,700 unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools in Canada have brought the world’s renewed attention to the dark and shameful chapter of Canadian history - Between the 1870s and the late 1990s, at least 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their families and communities to attend government-funded, church-run residential schools in an attempt to assimilate them."

"The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), a body mandated to examine the history and impact of the residential schools, declared in 2015 that the residential schools were 'a systematic, government- sponsored attempt to destroy Aboriginal cultures and languages and to assimilate Aboriginal peoples so that they no longer existed as distinct peoples'."

"Many of those children who went to residential schools never returned. They were lost to their families. ­They were buried away from their families in long-neglected graves. ­The most basic of questions about missing children—Who died? Why did they die? Where are they buried? — have never been addressed or comprehensively documented throughout the history of Canada’s residential school system."

The site was created by Leddy Library geospatial data analyst Carina Luo.

Luo also created a dashboard that features recent news stories about the continuing discoveries of unmarked graves of children who died at the schools. The dashboard reports will be updated as new information comes in.

Statistics Canada Article on Spousal Violence in Canada, 2019

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article on the nature and prevalence of spousal violence based on the on the 2019 General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety.

Among the highlights:

• Spousal violence in the provinces was significantly lower in 2019 than in 1999. While 3.5% of Canadians in the provinces with a current or former spouse or common-law partner experienced self-reported spousal violence in the five years preceding 2019, this was down from 7.5% 20 years prior, marking a 54% decrease. Between 2009 and 2019, spousal violence remained unchanged in the territories (10.2% versus 9.8%).
• In 2019, spousal violence continued to be significantly more common among women, with 4.2% of women experiencing such violence compared with 2.7% of men. This represented approximately 432,000 women and 279,000 men in Canada.
• Among victims of spousal violence, women were more likely than men to report each of the negative emotional impacts measured by the 2019 GSS on Victimization, while men were more likely than women to say they felt no emotional impact. In particular, it was more common for women than men to report feeling fearful (38% versus 11%) and fearing for their lives (29% versus 3.8%), and to report impacts consistent with suspected Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (21% versus 9.8%).
• In all, the large majority (80%) of spousal victims said the violence they experienced was not reported to police. 

From the article:

"(...) 2019 GSS on Victimization, which has collected information on self-reported spousal violence every five years since 1999. In order to measure spousal violence, the GSS on Victimization asked those who are married or living common law, and those who are separated or divorced and have had contact with their former partner in the previous five years, about a series of violent behaviours in the context of their spousal relationship both in the past year and in the past five years. The GSS on Victimization asks the following:"

"Has your current or former spouse or partner done any of the following?

• Threatened to hit you with their fist or anything else that could have hurt you
• Thrown anything at you that could have hurt you
• Pushed, grabbed or shoved you in a way that could have hurt you
• Slapped you
• Kicked you, bit you or hit you with their fist
• Hit you with something that could have hurt you
• Beaten you
• Choked you
• Used or threatened to use a gun or knife on you
• Forced you into any unwanted sexual activity by threatening you, holding you down or hurting you in some way
• Subjected you to a sexual activity to which you were not able to consent because you were drugged, intoxicated, manipulated or forced in other ways than physically"

Nominations for the Next Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) is accepting nominations for the next Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing.

The award honours a publisher (whether for-profit or not-for profit, corporate or non-corporate) that has demonstrated excellence by publishing a work, series, website, or electronic product that makes a significant contribution to legal research and scholarship. Legal content in all information formats is welcome.

Members as well as non-members of CALL can make nominations. 

Nominations can be submitted to Past President of CALL Shaunna Mireau [e-mail = smireau at gmail.com], before January15, 2022.

This year's award will be presented to the recipient during the 2022 CALL Annual Conference, which will be held in Montreal May 28-June 2, 2022.

The award honours Hugh Lawford (1933-2009), Professor of Law at Queens’ University and the founder of Quicklaw.

Canadian Association of Law Libraries Webinar on Negotiating With Vendors

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL)  is hosting a webinar called Savvy Negotiation Skills: A Toolkit for Law Librarians on Thursday, October 14, 2021 from 2 to 3:3PM EST:

Some law librarians continue to be involved, to some extent, in negotiating contracts with vendors. Negotiations with large vendors can be intimidating, especially for newer librarians. Law librarians in all work situations and levels of experience are welcome to participate.  Senior librarians are invited to share their experience and perspectives. This session will provide practical tools, tips and checklists to assist law librarians in the various phases of contract negotiation.

The speaker is Annette Demers, head of the Paul Martin Law Library at the University of Windsor and past president of CALL.

It is free to CALL members. Student - $15.00 plus applicable taxes;  nn-Member - $50.00 plus applicable taxes.

The Docket Podcast Episode Featuring Former Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin

The September 14, 2021 episode of the podcast The Docket features an interview with former Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin:

"We were thrilled to be joined by the former Chief Justice of Canada and #1 bestselling author, Beverley McLachlin to talk about her new thriller Denial."

"Tough-as-nails defense attorney Jilly Truitt has made a name for herself as one of the top criminal defense lawyers in the city. Where once she had to take just about any case to keep her firm afloat, now she has her pick—and she picks winners."

"So when Joseph Quentin asks her to defend his wife, who has been charged with murdering her own mother in what the media are calling a mercy killing, every instinct tells Jilly to say no. Word on the street is that Vera Quentin is in denial, refusing to admit to the crime and take a lenient plea deal. Quentin is a lawyer’s lawyer, known as the Fixer in legal circles, and if he can’t help his wife, who can?"

The book is Chief Justice McLachlin's 2nd thriller, her first being Full Disclosure.

The Docket podcast is a production of  Ottawa criminal lawyer Michael Spratt and legal expert Emilie Taman.