Outreach and Engagement

The Listen & Learn project is an opportunity for the LCC to engage directly with the people of Canada and to learn about their work, priorities, and concerns through roundtables, multilateral discussions, individual meetings, and larger conferences. Indeed, “listening and learning” is a mode which will continue to characterize the LCC’s initiatives and activities going forward. 

The primary goal of these engagements is to identify issues related to law and justice which participants consider pressing or likely to emerge on the horizon, and with which the LCC may engage in the course of its work. The engagements also serve as a site for interesting and mutually beneficial exchange, allowing participants to learn about the work and perspectives of others, and to form connections across their endeavours. 

The LCC will produce What We Heard reports on a regular basis, setting out what members of the LCC learned in the course of their engagements within a given period. The reports will highlight the challenges, complexities, considerations, and creative possibilities that exist with respect to the ongoing and dynamic evolution of law in Canada.  

Read What We Heard from June to December 2023 here. 

Read What We Heard from January to May 2024 here. 

During its early stage of foundation-building, the LCC is particularly keen to reach out to youth so as to better understand their perspectives and reflections on contemporary and future issues in law and justice.  

The LCC is interested in visiting schools and facilitating workshops for students. These workshops would be led by two recent law school graduates who hold one-year positions as LCC Fellows.  

The workshop could be done over one or two sessions and Fellows will work with teachers to tailor the workshop to their students so that it is a meaningful learning opportunity for them.  

The workshop might begin with a discussion about the nature of law, aiming to frame law as something that can be positive and empowering in youth’s lives and to centre the students as agents of change. The discussion could then be developed and enriched by an applied activity, such as a model law reform simulation or the building of a mosaic using print media. The goal would be to encourage students to think creatively about the many spaces in which law operates in our lives.  

Workshops could be conducted in French or in English, and in either small or large groups, such as an entire class or a student club. 

If you are interested in hosting an LCC educational workshop, please contact info@lcc-cdc.gc.ca. 

LCC Conference Support

The Law Commission of Canada (LCC) is committed to fostering partnerships with and supporting cooperative efforts among the academic community, the legal profession, and other organizations interested in law and justice.

In accordance with section 4(c) of the LCC Act, the Commission regularly invites proposals for financial support for conferences, seminars and other meetings that fall within its mission of engaging the people of Canada in the ongoing and dynamic evolution of law.

To read the Call for Conference Support Proposals for 2024-2025, please click here.

Note that the deadline for proposals is 1 November 2024 for events taking place prior to 31 March 2025.

Views on Justice in Action: Photos by Law Students

A Law Commission of Canada Photo Collection

The Law Commission of Canada invites law students across the country to submit a photo before April 1, 2025, to be included in a compelling collection of images illustrating justice in action.  

As you know from your studies, law evolves hand in hand with society, constantly changing in ways big and small, fast and slow, broad and narrow. Where do you, as law students, see law in everyday life? Where do you see justice in action? How does what you see relate to why you are studying law and the contributions you hope to make with your law degree in hand? Please share an image as you begin to imagine your path beyond law school.

Collected by the Law Commission, your photos will serve as an inspiring portrait of the curiosity and commitment of today’s law students and tomorrow’s lawyers. Viewers will learn about law in our everyday lives, issues in need of attention, and ways in which individuals and communities work for justice.

Accepted photo submissions accompanied by captions will be compiled and posted on the LCC website, as well as shared on its social media channels in spring 2025.  

The Commission also plans to create a small exhibit of selected photos to be shared with the public. All participants will be entered into a draw to win one of five $100 gift cards.

How to participate:

• To participate, students must be enrolled in a JD, LLB, LLL, BCL or LLM program at a Canadian university at the time of submission of their photos.
• Send your high-resolution photos to comms@lcc-cdc.gc.ca between 11 October 2024 and 1 April 2025.
• Photos can be submitted in black and white or in colour, with landscape or portrait orientation.
• Photos must be accompanied by a caption of up to 150 words, in either English or French, explaining how the image illustrates a space or way in which students hope to contribute to law and society. Students are invited to include versions of their text in any additional languages in which they are able to write.
• Submissions can be made individually or as part of a team of up to 3 students. If the submission is made on behalf of a team, please indicate the names of all members.
• It is the responsibility of participants to ensure that any individuals featured in their photos have consented to their publication.
• The LCC reserves the right to refrain from publishing photos at its discretion.

LCC-CBA Journalism Fellowship

In collaboration with the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), the LCC has established the LCC-CBA Journalism Fellowship designed to support in-depth journalistic exploration of critical and emerging law and justice issues in Canada.

The one-year fellowship, valued at $40,000 CAD, supports the creation of comprehensive print or online reporting projects that focus on the ways law affects and shapes the lives of people across Canada. This initiative recognizes the importance of telling human stories in the evolution of law, as well as the deep and important links between investigative journalism and the pursuit of truth, justice, and hope.

The LCC and CBA share a deep commitment to public legal education, law reform, and advancing thought leadership on emerging law and justice issues. By fostering greater public understanding of Canada’s institutions of law, justice, and democratic governance, the LCC and the CBA expect that the fellowship will contribute to an informed, engaged, and empowered society.

The deadline for applications is 17 January 2025 with an anticipated fellowship start date in February 2025.