Decision of Federal Court hearing held at law school now available
The decision for the Federal Court of Canada (Immigration and Citizenship) hearing held February 18, 2025 at Robson Hall is now available to the public on the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) website.
The case, Alvarez Gonzalez v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2025 FC 628 (CanLII) involved an Applicant seeking judicial review of a decision made by a Migration Officer to refuse his work permit application. Presiding over the case was The Honourable Justice Angus Grant.
At Paragraph 29 of his decision, Justice Grant acknowledged that the hearing was hosted at the Faculty of Law as follows:
[29] Before concluding, I would note that the hearing into this application for judicial review was conducted at the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba, with law students and faculty in attendance. I thank the Faculty for hosting this hearing. I also commend both counsel, who provided excellent legal representation for their respective clients.
During the winter 2025 school term, the Federal Court of Canada approached the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law and asked to hold the hearing for this case in the Harry Walsh O.C., Q.C. Moot Courtroom at Robson Hall as a way to make the hearing accessible to law students, professors and any other members of the public interested in attending on the University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus. Most Federal Court of Canada hearings are open to the public unless otherwise specified and are usually held in the Court’s downtown Winnipeg courtrooms. Hearings are possible to attend in-person, by video or teleconference, or hybrid. All persons wishing to attend must register with 24-hours advance notice.
The Federal Court previously held or arranged to hold hearings in the Moot Courtroom in 2018 and 2020, the latter of which was scheduled but ultimately held virtually due to the pandemic. Following each hearing , the judge and counsel for both applicant and respondent make a point of remaining for about 30 minutes to answer questions from students, professors and members of the public, offering valuable insights into the Federal Court process.