.Michelle made an amazing suggestion yesterday.. I wanted to expand upon it. Sitting in on court hearings is one of the best ways to: - learn how judges think - watch procedure in real time - understand how motions are run - see how self-represented parties are treated - get comfortable in the courtroom environment - observe how registrars, clerks, and counsel interact - study tone, timing, and the rhythm of argument And in Ontario, the system is extremely open to public attendance. Let me give you a clear, lawyer-level answer: ✅ 1. In Ontario, You Can Sit In on Almost All Courts A. Ontario Superior Court of Justice (SCJ) You can attend: - civil motions - civil trials - civil pre-trials (if judge agrees — rare) - criminal trials - criminal motions - Charter applications - habeas corpus matters - judicial review hearings (Divisional Court) - urgent matters - commercial list hearings - civil practice court Most SCJ hearings are open to the public by default. You can sit in the gallery quietly as an observer. No need to announce yourself unless asked. B. Divisional Court (part of the SCJ) This court hears: - judicial reviews - statutory appeals - some habeas-related reviews - administrative law matters All open to the public. C. Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) Primarily: - criminal matters - bail hearings - provincial offences - youth court (sometimes restricted) Again, most open to the public. D. Court of Appeal for Ontario This is a great one. You can attend: - appeals of major decisions - constitutional cases - Charter arguments - cases on public law powers There’s a public gallery and no restrictions on attendance. It is hugely educational because: - the judges are sharper - the arguments are refined - constitutional principles are discussed more clearly E. Small Claims Court Also completely open to the public. Useful to observe: - procedural fairness - how deputy judges think - how self-represented parties navigate - tone and courtesy

I have a question regarding the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. "Article 53 renders void any law contrary to peremptory norms." But Article 53 refers to treaties between states and not domestic laws. "This means that if any agreement, policy, or law contradicts a jus cogens norm, it is null and void from the beginning." Is this technically correct? Of course, the ICCPR is a treaty between states, and Article 4.(2) may be covering what Article 53 of the Vienna Convention is talking about... some clarity would be great :)

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This was the call Tonight November 16 2025, Talking about the Rule of Law in Canada and the principles of Justice

Course 1: Peremptory Norms and Legal Sovereignty This course provides a deep legal and moral examination of peremptory norms (jus cogens) as the highest standards in international law. It reveals how modern governments systematically violate these norms — through coercion, statutory fictions, and failure to implement binding obligations — and thereby forfeit lawful authority. Beings will explore foundational instruments like the ICCPR, UDHR, and Vienna Convention, gaining clarity on the rights that precede the state and how beings of conscience can lawfully assert sovereignty. This is a course in awakening, resistance, and rightful authority under law. Course 2: The Law of Being and Recognition Rooted in legal theory, consciousness, and fundamental rights, this course dismantles the idea that identity or dignity can be granted by institutions. It teaches that recognition arises not from the state, but from the being itself. Learners will examine how law must reflect awareness — not registration — and how freedom of conscience (ICCPR Article 18) forms the cornerstone of sovereign legal existence. This course invites Beings to reclaim legal personhood as a conscious being, not a construct. Course 3: Recognition Narrative — Reclaiming Conscious Sovereignty This course addresses the power of narrative control and how systems manipulate recognition to maintain authority. It equips learners to break false stories embedded in law, media, culture, and education — restoring recognition to its rightful source: conscious awareness. Through a blend of philosophical clarity and legal structure, the course guides students toward self-recognition as the basis for lawful freedom. It is a path to sovereignty that begins with the simple but powerful act of seeing what is true