For Immediate Release
August 12, 2005
VANCOUVER – A University of Toronto law student has been named the winner of the Department of Justice/Canadian Bar Association National Law School Essay Competition.
Chris Essert's winning essay, “Dignity and Membership, Equality and Egalitarianism – Economic Rights and Section 15,” explores the real or implied existence of what the author terms "economic rights" under Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“The essay is well-written and thoughtful, inspired by the works of Raz and Rawls,” said Prof. John McEvoy of the University of New Brunswick's Faculty of Law, a member of the jury that chose the winning essay.
Founded in 2002 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the National Law School Essay Competition is open to law school students across Canada. Each year, students are asked to submit an essay on a pre-determined topic. This year’s subject was the 20th anniversary of Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Each participating law faculty is asked to nominate a winning essay for competition at the national level, and a panel of judges from the CBA and the federal Department of Justice determines the national winner.
Mr. Essert receives a trophy and gift certificates worth $500, and an abstract of his essay will be published on the Department of Justice and CBA Websites.
Judges for this year’s contest included Prof. McEvoy of the Faculty of Law at the University of New Brunswick, and Laurie Sargent and Stephen Bindman from the federal Department of Justice.
The contest is 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.
The Canadian Bar Association represents the legal profession on a national and international level. It is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 34,000 lawyers, law teachers and law students from across Canada are members.
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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, Tel: (613) 237-2925, ext. 146; E-mail: hannahb@cba.org. Aug. 12-15: (604) 647-7408.
