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WINNER OF CHARTER ESSAY CONTEST ANNOUNCED
LONDON, August 10, 2002 - A Queen's University law graduate is the winner
of the Department of Justice/Canadian Bar Association essay contest to mark
the 20th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Elissa Goodman's winning essay was entitled "Section 7 of the Charter
and Social Interest Justification" and was submitted for her third-year
Advanced Constitutional Law course.
The contest was open to students in law schools across Canada, who were asked
to submit their essays on a Charter-related topic. One finalist from each participating
law faculty was selected by a designated professor or Law Review Editor and
the winning entries were reviewed by a national panel of judges from the CBA
and the Department of Justice.
Ms. Goodman will receive a trophy and a trip to Ottawa to meet with Minister
of Justice Martin Cauchon. Her essay will be published on the Department of
Justice and CBA web sites.
"This competition is of tremendous benefit to us at the Department of
Justice," said Justice Deputy Minister, Morris Rosenberg. "The insights
from all the submitted essays will help increase the knowledge of our lawyers
working in this area."
For CBA President Eric Rice, Q.C. of Vancouver: "The Charter has had a
profound impact on the rights of Canadians. The essay contest encourages law
students to focus on the Charter and its effect on our every day lives."
Goodman, 24, graduated from Queen's Law School in June and will begin articling
with a Toronto law firm in September.
Her winning essay examined the Section 7 jurisprudence of the Supreme Court
of Canada with a view to determining the extent to which, and by what methodology,
the Court takes social factors or considerations into account in responding
to challenges that government legislation or action has led to a violation of
the right to "life, liberty and security of the person."
The national judges were: Judith Bowers, Q.C. and Geoffrey Lester of the Department
of Justice and Prof. John McEvoy of the Faculty of Law at the University of
New Brunswick.
The contest was administered by the Department of Justice's Outreach &
Partnerships Initiative, which is working to enhance the Department's relationship
with universities and organizations interested in justice issues.
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Ref:
Media Relations Office
Department of Justice
(613) 957-4207
Suzanne Thébarge
Director of Communications
Minister's Office
(613) 992-4621
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