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¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ International Conference on Federalism

Published: 5 November 2002

Media representatives are cordially invited to cover the ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ International Conference on Federalism organized by the Faculty of Law in cooperation with the Forum of federations.

¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ International Conference on Federalism
8 - 10 November 2002

¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ University, Faculty of Law
Moot Court Room
3660 Peel Street
Montreal, Quebec

For further information, please visit our website at

While providing a forum in which the federal phenomenon will be discussed as seriously and objectively as possible, the ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ International Colloquium aims to foster in-depth reflection and analysis of both the potential and limitations of federalism as a system adapted to the governance of political communities that are marked by profound cultural diversity or wish to optimize their socioeconomic relations while preserving their own identities. The colloquium also hopes to explore the possible forms of federal governance, the extremely varied expressions of which are frequently quite distant from its Canadian incarnation. From this perspective, the colloquium seeks to draw Canada's attention to the risk of blindly entertaining an unsupported belief that Canadian federalism represents the most perfect expression of that form of governance, and to the necessity of looking beyond federalism as it is structured and practiced in this country.

PROGRAMME

Friday, November 8th, 2002

17:30-18:00
Opening Remarks
Dean Peter Leuprecht, Faculty of Law, ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ University
Karl Nerenberg, Forum of Federations, Director of Communications and Senior Editor

18:00-19:00
Inaugural Session
The Phenomenology of Federalism and the Methodology of Comparative Federalism
Chair: Peter Leuprecht, Faculty of Law, ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ University

Du principe fédéral à une typologie des fédérations : quelques propositions
Bruno Thérêt, CNRS, Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Socio-économie, Université Paris Dauphine

Comparative Constitutional Federalism: Its Strengths and Limits
Vicky Jackson, Georgetown University Law Center

Saturday, November 9th, 2002

9:00-10:30
First Session
Federal Governance and the Imperatives of Co-ordination, Efficiency and Equality
Chair: Jean-François Gaudreault-Desbiens, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto

Les ententes intergouvernementales et la gouvernance fédérale : aux confins du droit et du non-droit
Johanne Poirier, Centre de droit public, Université libre de Bruxelles

Governance in a multilevel federation: Co-ordination and Conflict in Belgium
Theo Jans, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

L'égalité, mesure du fédéralisme : l'égalité entre les collectivités fédérées
Francis Delpérée, Université Catholique de Louvain

L'égalité, mesure du fédéralisme : l'égalité entre le niveau fédéral et le niveau fédéré
Marc Verdussen, Université Catholique de Louvain

10:45-11:30
Second Session
Federalism and the Complexities of Identity
Chair: Gilles Paquet, Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa

Principe de territorialité et principe de personnalité en fédéralisme comparé
Antoine Messara, Université Libanaise and Université St-Joseph

The Moral Psychology of Federalism
Daniel Weinstock, Département de philosophie, Université de Montréal

11:30-12:45
Third Session
Federalism and the Judicial Arbitration of Conflicts
Chair: Fabien Gélinas, Faculty of Law, ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ University

Top courts and the constitution: a view from the United Kingdom
Richard Cornes, University of Essex

The Canadian Supreme Court's Understanding of Federalism: Efficiency at the Expense of Diversity
Jean Leclair, Faculté de droit, Université de Montréal

Mission Impossible : Pouvoir judiciaire et prise en compte des droits des minorités
Andrée Lajoie, Centre de recherche en droit public, Université de Montréal

14h00-15h45
Fourth Session

The International Voice of Federations
Chair: Isabelle Petit, Institut d'études européennes,
Université de Montréal and ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ University

Les dimensions fédérales de l'intégration européenne
Nicolas Levrat, Département de droit international public and Institut européen, Université de Genève

L'exécution des obligations internationales dans un Etat fédéral
Annemie Shaus, Centre de droit Public, Université Libre de Bruxelles

The voice of Länder, Regions and Communities in the European Union
Rainer Arnold, Université de Regensburg

White Papers and Grey Areas: The Provinces and International Relations in Canada
Armand de Mestral, Faculty of Law, ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ University

16:00-17:30
Closing Session
Federalism in the Future and the Future of Comparative Federalism
Chair : Pierre MacKay, Département des sciences juridiques,
Faculté de science politique et de droit, Université du Québec à Montréal

The Challenge of Ethnic Diversity to Federalism
Thomas Fleiner, Institute of Federalism, University of Fribourg

Kaleidoscopic Federalism
Rod Macdonald, Faculty of Law, ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ University

Les limites du fédéralisme comme technologie sociale
Gilles Paquet, Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa

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