Labour, Employment and Social Justice Stream

Faculty Advisor: Professor Gillian Demeyere

Labour, employment and social justice (LESJ) courses are an area of increasing strength at Western Law. Hundreds of Western Law students have established dynamic and exciting careers in these areas. Western Law professors continue to publish well-regarded books, articles and reports on these topics. Currently, we offer more than 15 courses in this curricular stream, with a particular focus on two areas.

Why Study LESJ at Western Law?

First, our offerings in workplace law cover the spectrum on labour, employment and human rights law that regulates the relationship between employers and employees. Fundamentally, these courses look at rights at work. What rights do employers possess to manage the workplace? What rights can employees demand to achieve a fair working environment? How does the Charter of Rights and Freedoms change the nature of workplace rights? And what judicial and tribunal avenues can employees use to advance their human rights, equality rights, pension rights, contractual rights and statutory rights?

Second, social justice courses and perspectives are a rich part of our curriculum and an essential component of a comprehensive legal education. Social justice courses at Western Law integrate critical perspectives on historical and present-day social inequalities with an in-depth analysis on how the law does, or does not, address and remedy these inequalities. Legal reform is very much on our mind. Our courses focus on diverse inequalities related to gender and gender identity, Aboriginal status, disability, race and ethnicity, and poverty. These courses also engage legal questions and issues relating to women’s rights, refugee and immigrant rights, corporate social responsibility and the broader issues of the Canadian and international human rights legal systems.

Capstone

Labour & Employment

Electives

  • Advanced Labour Law
  • Labour Arbitration 
  • Advanced Labour Law Series
  • Women and the Law of Work
  • National Labour Arbitration Competition

Essential (pick 2)

  • Labour Law
  • Employment Law
  • Canadian Human Rights

 

 

Social Justice

Electives

  • Indigenous Law
  • International Human Rights
  • Sex Discrimination and Law
  • Food Law and Policy
  • Immigration and Refugee Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Introduction to Clinical Law
  • Racial Profiling and Policing
  • Public Health Law 
  • Family Law

NOTE: not all courses are offered every year.

Relevant Co-Curricular Opportunities

  • Hicks Morley Labour Law Moot
  • Borden Ladner Gervais LLP/Cavalluzzo Labour and Employment Law Moot
  • Community Legal Services