Event Details

Political Theory and Canada's Law of Democracy

We're pleased to welcome Justice Colin C.J. Feasby from the Alberta Court of King's Bench for a lecture on democratic theory.

Abstract: Legal academics and political scientists question whether courts faced with democracy issues should be guided by political theory. Justice Feasby will argue that the text and structure of the constitution force judges to confront different aspects of political theory. The real question, according to Justice Feasby, is what kind of theory (or theories) judges should adopt. He will argue that an underlying theory of the state and three different democratic theories can be discerned from the Supreme Court of Canada’s democracy jurisprudence. These theories, sometimes in tension with one another, are manifested in different types of cases and different aspects of constitutional analysis. Justice Feasby explains that there is a coherent theoretical foundation for Canada’s law of democracy that provides useful guidance for judges confronted with democracy issues.

Speakers

Justice Colin C.J. Feasby

Alberta Court of King's Bench

Justice Colin C.J. Feasby graduated from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law in 1998. He later attended Columbia University where he earned an LL.M and J.S.D. He practiced at Osler for over 20 years, serving the Managing Partner of the Calgary Office for four years. As a lawyer, Justice Feasby had an active trial and appellate practice acting for corporate clients as well as a significant pro bono public interest practice. He appeared before many courts across the country, including the Supreme Court of Canada several times. He has written extensively on constitutional law subjects, particularly concerning democracy issues. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2020 and then to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in 2021. In his time as a justice, he has written many significant decisions including concerning the rights of family members to intervene in patient decisions about Medical Assistance in Dying, the constitutionality of changes to Alberta regulations governing opioid prescription, the constitutionality of the Alberta Personal Information Protection Act, and whether a referendum on the independence of Alberta would contravene Charter and Treaty rights.

Event Date(s):

February 3, 2026, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

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Centre for Constitutional Studies
448D Law Centre
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2H5

Event Details

Political Theory and Canada's Law of Democracy

Speakers

Justice Colin C.J. Feasby

Event Date(s):

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