The following podcast, presented by Gudrun Welder and Matthew Cockle, discusses the role of the Canadian judiciary and more specifically, the judicial guardianship of rights and freedoms in times of crisis. By judiciary we mean the Canadian system of courts of law, the judges who preside over these courts, and also the branch of government in which judicial power is vested. The discussion ranges over some difficult topics. The subject matter is difficult, largely because it is unfamiliar to most of us. The language can be difficult because legal terms are words that carry actual consequential power within our legal system. The terms and phrases are unfamiliar and sometimes we would like to translate or simplify them, but they can’t always be translated into common language, because then they will no longer carry their full meaning and power within the legal context. In spite of the difficulty that, at times, may arise in listening to the following discussion, we feel that the effort required will be generously repaid because this discussion has the potential to clarify some very common points of confusion. It can clarify the nature of rule-of-law within democracy and the manner in which rule-of-law is designed to protect regular people. It can clarify the nature of judicial guardianship within democracy and the manner in which the judiciary has been established to protect members of the public when government infringes upon their rights and freedoms. And it can clarify the nature of procedural fairness within court proceedings and the importance of maintaining this procedural fairness, particularly when the courts are called upon to scrutinize state actions that are alleged to violate the rights and freedoms of those living within Canada’s borders.

Matthew Cockle presents the third in a series of articles on conflict of Interest. This podcast discusses the manner in which COVID-19 and the declared pandemic ushered in dramatic changes to Canadian health care and to Canadian patients’ rights. Underlying some of these changes was the unprecedented and pervasive influence, wielded by the pharmaceutical industry, upon public health decision making and policy. This influence affected multiple stages of medical treatment--from clinical trials, through the regulatory approval process, to marketing, and doctors’ treatment recommendations--and has ultimately threatened both the right to provide and the right to receive consent-based personalized healthcare in Canada.

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Matthew Cockle presents the second in a series of articles on conflict of Interest. This podcast discusses the manner in which public private partnerships threaten the integrity of the public sphere, hampering the ability of public institutions to serve the public welfare.