The GTLLI (in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada)
offers lecture courses on a diverse range of topics.
Our intention is to stimulate the mind, intellect and soul
of our members. Learning, understanding and becoming more aware of the
world at large, of our communities and of ourselves is the primary goal of the
Georgian Triangle Lifelong Learning Institute.
National Security in Canada in 2009: The
Threat of Terrorism and other Matters
Ron Atkey Q.C., P.C.
This lecture will address the terrorist threat in Canada, post 9/11, dealing with international and home-grown terrorists, threats to public transportation, the 2010 Olympic Games, Canadian policing and intelligence resources, and the ability of Canadian Courts to deal with the situation.
Ron Atkey was a partner of a major Canadian law firm for thirty years, a PC Member of Parliament, the Minister of Immigration , a professor of Constitutional Law and the first Chairman of the Security Intelligence Review Committee. Currently he teaches National Security Law at Osgoode Hall and the University of Western Ontario.
September 18, 2009
Friday Math Specials!
Professor Jack Weiner
This lecture comprises a collection of Jack Weiner’s “Friday Specials!” given for the last five minutes of his University of Guelph Friday math lectures. On screen is shown an article or cartoon or letter dealing with math in the ‘real world’, often a flagrant example of how the media abuse math. The resulting discussion is guaranteed to be accessible and fun!
Jack Weiner, Professor at the University of Guelph, taught high school in Dundas before returning to U. of Guelph in 1982. He was the 2007 recipient of the University of Guelph Central Student Association Teaching Award and was listed as a ‘Popular Professor’ eight out of nine years in Maclean’s annual Canada-wide university report. His most recent publication is the second edition of The Mathematics Survival Kit.
September 25, 2009
Minority Governments
Professor Emeritus Peter Russell
Having elected three minority parliaments in the last five years, it is time Canadians learned how to make them more durable and productive. This will require a change in the behaviour of our political leaders and a better understanding of parliamentary government by the people.
Peter Russell is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, author of several books and a frequent media commentator on Canada’s constitutional and political affairs. His most recent books are Two Cheers for Minority Government and Parliamentary Democracy in Crisis.
This course is the first of a two-part series on the shifting powers in the world as the era of American Superpower dominance seems to be wavering. In this opening half we will be looking at Russia, the European Union and the territory separating them (East and East Central Europe) to determine their strengths and weaknesses as each works towards finding its niche on the world stage. The implications of the changing order for the United Nations will also be taken into consideration.
Oct. 16:
It’s a Small World After All: The Pressing Issues In International Relations Dr. Michael Johns
Oct. 23:
Baring the Bear: More Than You Want To Know About Contemporary Russia: Mixing The Old And The New: Chaos And The Yeltsin Era Dr. Larry Black
Oct. 30:
The Most Powerful Group Nobody Knows About: The European Union Dr. Michael Johns
Nov. 6:
The Land-In-Between: Eastern Europe Dr. Jeffrey Kopstein
Nov. 13:
Baring the Bear: Putin and Medvedev’s Russia And Beyond Dr. Larry Black
Nov. 20:
The UN Grapples with Change Jennifer Armstrong–Lehman
Michael Johns, Assistant Professor of Political Science with Laurentian University at Georgian College, has an MSc from the London School of Economics and a PhD from the University of Maryland.
Larry Black is founding director of the Centre for Research on Canadian-Russian Relations, now located at Georgian College. He has written, edited, or co-edited more than 35 books on Russian and Soviet history, and Canadian-Soviet relations.
Jeffrey Kopstein, PhD from the University of California Berkeley, is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto. His forthcoming book is Primed to Hate? Jewish Political Persecution and Small Town Life in Occupied Poland.
Jennifer Armstrong-Lehman, MA in Political Science from Wilfred Laurier was part of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations in 2002-2003. She currently teaches for both Georgian College and Laurentian University in Barrie.
This course traces the dramatic changes in the Canadian religious landscape over the last 50 years, showing how the forces of secularization and the emergence of a new ethno-religious pluralism have transformed Canadian society and religion.
Jan. 15:
What has changed?
In the 1950s, Canada was a Christian society. The ensuing secularization of Canadian society will be discussed within the context of modernization - the transformation from a rural, agrarian to an urban, industrial society.
Jan. 22:
A Christian Canada
At the time of Confederation, Christianity was so interwoven with the fabric of Canadian national self understanding that the country was named “the Dominion of Canada” from a passage in the Book of Isaiah. The consequences of these Christian origins for the culture and structures of Canadian society today will be discussed.
Jan. 29:
Christian Canada No More
Most Canadians do not understand secularization – what it is and what it is not. This lecture will explain why and how Canada became a secular society and what the separation of Church and State really mean in the Canadian context.
Feb. 5:
The New Religious Pluralism 1
By 2017, one in 10 Canadians will belong to a non-Christian religious group. What does this new religious diversity mean to Canadian society? How does it challenge traditional Canadian identity and institutions, rooted as they are in Christianity?
Feb. 12:
The New Religious Pluralism 2
Immigration is changing the face of the Christian Churches. This lecture will outline the new diversity in Canada’s Christian communities and discuss what it means for the churches and for Canadian society.
Feb. 19:
Religion and Modern
Society: Lessons for and from Canada
How do we respect religious diversity and freedom while ensuring social cohesion and protection of human rights?
David Seljak is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at St. Jerome's University and Chair of Religious Studies at U. of Waterloo. He has co-edited (with Paul Bramadat of the U. of Victoria) Religion and Ethnicity in Canada and Christianity and Ethnicity in Canada, both published with University of Toronto Press. In 2008, he gave a highly thought-provoking course to GTLLI called Responses to Evil.
This course examines issues surrounding Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms with the hopeful expectation that those who attend will develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of our Charter.
This informative course of lectures will be presented by a distinguished group of lecturers drawn from academia, legal practice and the judiciary.
Apr. 9:
Introduction to the Charter David J. D. Sims Q.C., LL.M
This lecture will serve as an introduction to legal and Charter concepts designed to enable better understanding of the issues to be discussed in this course.
David Sims is a retired lawyer living at Craigleith and a member of GTLLI. During almost forty years of practice, he had the privilege of successfully arguing cases before the Supreme Court of Canada under both the ‘Diefenbaker’ Bill of Rights and the Charter of Rights.
Apr. 16:
Is the Charter Living Up to Expectations? Professor Allan Hutchinson LL.B., LL.M, LL.D
This lecture provides a provocative look at the jurisprudential and philosophical underpinnings of the Charter.
Allan C. Hutchinson is a distinguished research professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a legal theorist with an international reputation for his original and provocative writings. Much of his work has been devoted to examining the failure of law to live up to its democratic promise.
Apr. 23:
Leading Canadian Charter Cases David Stratas B.C.L., LL.B
This lecture will consider some of the leading constitutional cases since the Charter was entrenched in our constitution in 1982. Judicial trends and important upcoming Charter cases will be identified and discussed.
David Stratas is a distinguished constitutional lawyer and scholar. He practices primarily in the area of constitutional, administrative and regulatory law. He has argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court of Canada. He teaches constitutional law at Queen’s University, and frequently makes presentations to judges at judicial conferences. He is often called upon to comment on constitutional issues in the Globe and Mail and on CTV.
Apr. 30:
The American Experience Professor Jamie Cameron LL.B, LL.M.
This lecture will examine the history of the United States Constitution with particular emphasis on the U.S. Bill of Rights and significant U.S. constitutional jurisprudence. Apart from being an inherently interesting subject, one cannot truly understand our Charter issues without a basic knowledge of the American experience.
Jamie Cameron teaches both American and Canadian constitutional law at Osgoode Hall Law School and specializes in the Charter, criminal law and freedom of expression. She served as a law clerk to the Honourable Justice Dickson, the former Chief Justice of Canada.
May 7:
Criminal Justice and The Charter and Judicial Activism Professor Kent Roach LL.B, LL.M
In this lecture, two subjects will be reviewed, one being criminal justice and the Charter and the other judicial activism, the topics of two recent books by Kent Roach.
Kent Roach is the Pritchard-Wilson Chair of Law and Public Policy. He served as law clerk to the Honourable Bertha Wilson and has frequently appeared before the Supreme Court in such cases as the Latimer and the prisoner voting-rights cases. He is also a prolific and highly regarded author of numerous legal books and articles.
May 14:
Complex Trials and The Charter The Honourable Patrick LeSage, C.M., Q.C. and Professor Michael Code LL.B, LL.M
The Hon. Patrick LeSage and Professor Code together authored the Report of the Review of Large and Complex Criminal Case Procedures submitted to the Attorney-General of Ontario in November 2008. As a result, many of their recommendations have been accepted and are being implemented by the Attorney-General. This lecture will focus on their report with special emphasis on the impact of the Charter on complex criminal litigation.
The Honourable Patrick LeSage is the former Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court. He was first appointed to the bench in 1975. Since his retirement and his return to the practice of law, he was appointed by the Attorney-General of Manitoba to conduct an Inquiry into the first-degree murder conviction of James Driskell. At the request of the Ontario Government, he conducted an extensive review of Ontario’s police complaints system.
Michael Code is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Toronto. His legal career was initially devoted to criminal and constitutional litigation. He has worked as defence counsel, as Crown counsel, as Assistant Deputy Attorney-General, and as counsel to many public entities.
