The Multidisciplinary Observatory on the Future of Private Law was launched in November 2022 at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, Civil Law Section. It is a magnet for graduate students, both as a forum for exchange between researchers from diverse backgrounds, and because of the scientific activities held there on a regular basis. Its work is at the heart of two fundamental orientations: the circulation of legal knowledge in the French-speaking world, and the promotion of the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in legal research and transformation.
The Observatory’s activities revolve around three main questions: 1) What is the purpose of civil law in contemporary society? 2) What relationships does civil law have with other normative orders, such as the common law and aboriginal legal traditions? and 3) How is civil law different from other legal orders?
Research areas
Three main lines of research are at the heart of the work carried out by the MOFPL during its first years of existence (2022-2025).
For the “legal existence and liability“ research axis, in addition to the many activities organized this year as part of its scientific program, the MOFPL is proud to announce the upcoming publication of a Précis en droit de la responsabilité civile, co-edited by Mariève Lacroix and Josée Aspinall, by Éditions Yvon Blais.
In addition, Mariève Lacroix will complete the mobilization of knowledge from her research project: “La guerre des cendres”(The War of Ashes), funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for two years ($57,323). In addition to scientific articles, a Visioformation entitled “An Ethics of Decomposition” in collaboration with Jurivision.ca which will go online in fall 2023.
For the “care and the person” research axis, the MOFPL is proud to highlight the awarding of two major grants to Professor Audrey Ferron Parayre:
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Project competition grant, $187,424 over 3 years, research title: “Exploring the effective implementation of women’s rights as a measure to prevent obstetrical and gynecological violence”.
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Gender-Based Violence Research Initiative grant (in partnership with Women and Gender Equality Canada), $411,445 over 4 years, research title: “Improving access to justice for victims of obstetrical and gynecological violence”.
For the “business and society” research axis, Professor Pascale Cornut St-Pierre continued her research project entitled “La titrisation verte entre transition écologique et financiarisation de l’économie“(Green securitization between the ecological transition and the financialization of the economy), supported by a two-year grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) ($74,365). She also took advantage of her university leave to further her work on sustainable law and finance, as well as white-collar crime, and to initiate a reflection on private law and decline.
Finally, in the wake of a visit to Cameroon in 2022, Professors André Bélanger and Julie Paquin are currently working to set up a collaboration between the University of Ottawa and the Universités de Montréal (Pascale Dufour), (Pascale Dufour), Luxembourg (David Hiez and Séverine Menetry), Ngaoundéré (Diane Wagoue Tongoue, Yannick Nkoulou and Marie-Colette Nouaffo-Kengne) and Bamako (Souleymane Diarra) on the theme of the circulation of contemporary francophone civil law knowledge. A Partnership Development application to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) will be submitted in autumn 2023.
The Launch
The official launch of the MOFPL took place on November 2, 2022, at the University of Ottawa’s Civil Law Section. Under the honorary chairmanship of the Honourable Nicholas Kasirer, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, the event provided an opportunity to reflect on the theme of women’s reproductive rights in private law, with contributions from Louise Langevin, professor at Université Laval’s Faculty of Law, Laurence Ricard, lawyer and doctoral student at McGill’s Faculty of Law, and Audrey Ferron Parayre, professor at the University of Ottawa’s Civil Law Section.
