Karen Segal

About Karen Segal

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So far Karen Segal has created 4 blog entries.

Dignity Behind Bars: The Impact of Prisons on Mental Health

Wednesday, October 27, 2021  |  12:00 – 1:30 pm EDT

Please join Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) and the Law Union of Ontario (LUO) for a panel on the mental health impacts of prison and particularly solitary confinement. The discussion will be moderated by Zoë Paliare, creator and host of The Field podcast, who will be speaking with Mark Iyengar, associate at Peck and Company, and Vicki Prais, human rights consultant and lawyer.

This program is eligible for up to 1.5 substantive hours of Continuing Professional Development with the Law Society of Ontario.

To join the panel, please click the link at the appropriate time: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82557820749?pwd=L050V0h5U1JQUlVpRTB6bVdCTmVmdz09

Meeting ID: 825 5782 0749

Passcode: 450507

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Meeting ID: 825 5782 0749

Passcode: 450507

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kYwjfoC4e

About Zoë:

Zoë Paliare is the creator and host of The Field podcast, which shares the stories of formerly incarcerated people with the goal of inspiring a future where they are seen for their humanity, not judged for their past. Zoë is also a transformational coach, entrepreneur, former litigator, learning & development professional, traveller, foodie, lifelong learner, mentor, and speaker. She also serves as the Director of Equity & Associate Performance at Cassels. In this role, Zoë is responsible for supporting the Cassels’ work allocation program, leadership development initiative, and the firm’s mentorship program, as well as coaching associates to reach their career goals. She is also a part of Cassels’ EDI team, advancing the firm’s inclusion and diversity efforts and related initiatives and events.

About Mark:

Mark Iyengar is an associate at Peck and Company and CLAIHR is lucky to have him as our pro bono counsel. He practices criminal, quasi-criminal, and administrative law. He joined Peck and Company in 2020, after serving as a judicial law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. Before clerking, Mark articled in criminal and extradition law with the federal government. Mark sits on the board of directors of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers in British Columbia, serving as the chair of the advocacy committee.

About Vicki:
Vicki is an international human rights lawyer and academic, an engaging voice who speaks and writes in an accessible and eloquent manner including through hosting a podcast series, “The Passion Factor: Pursuing a Career in Human Rights.” As an independent human rights consultant, she exhibits expertise in prisoners’ rights, prison reform, dignity behind bars, and torture prevention. This year, she published an article in the Journal of Human Rights Practice, entitled “The Implementation in Canada of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners: A Practitioner’s Perspective.”

By |October 21st, 2021|News Releases, Past Events|
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CLAIHR Letter to PM Trudeau: Support the waiver on IP rights on COVID vaccines

While developed nations gradually bring the COVID-19 crisis under control through vaccinations, it continues to take a destructive toll on the Global South. Of the one billion COVID-19 vaccines administered globally, only 0.2% were administered to low-income countries. This is a product of global inequity and it can be addressed through decisive action. CLAIHR wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau and Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, calling on Canada to take a stand at the World Trade Organization in support of developing nations’ right to produce affordable generic COVID-19 vaccines. The intellectual property rights protected by the WTO provide pharmaceutical companies with a monopoly over the production of vaccines and medical supplies, which restricts access to life-saving medications for billions across the globe. While many nations have spoken out against these restrictive trade rules in the context of a global pandemic, Canada’s government has offered only non-committal generalities with no firm commitments. A global pandemic is not the time for token statements. CLAIHR is calling on Canada to take a stand to protect the right to human health, which is protected in international law. Read CLAIHR’s letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Karina Gould, calling on the Canadian government to support a petition to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waive intellectual property rights and patent laws on all COVID-19 vaccines and treatments until global herd immunity is achieved.
By |June 2nd, 2021|Uncategorized|
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THE COVID-19 CRISIS: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS SHOULD NOT SUPERSEDE THE RIGHT TO HEALTH

Could you patent the sun? – Polio vaccine inventor, Jonas Saulk 

By Harmit Sarai and Karen Segal

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, and a pandemic on March 11, 2020. At the time of writing, over 150 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19) and the global death toll has exceeded three million people. Over the last two months, the number of new COVID-19 cases globally has almost doubled, nearing the pandemic’s peak infection rate. As the infection rate began multiplying faster, the epicentre of the pandemic shifted to developing countries like Brazil, Mexico, and India—all three countries have surpassed the United Kingdom and Italy in numbers of confirmed fatalities from the virus.

By |May 3rd, 2021|Blog, Intellectual Property Rights, Uncategorized|
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CLAIHR and Accountability Counsel call for greater fairness, support, protections and clarity for complainants at the Canadian Ombudsperson for Social Enterprise

CLAIHR and Accountability Counsel provided feedback to the operating procedures of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Social Enterprise (CORE).

This office receives and reviews claims of alleged human rights abuses arising from the operations of Canadian companies abroad in the mining, oil and gas, and garment sectors.

CLAIHR has long been concerned by the failure of Canadian officials to regulate Canadian companies operating abroad. Together with Accountability Counsel, CLAIHR called on the CORE to implement greater measures to protect and support those who file requests or complaints to the CORE.

Specifically, CLAIHR and Accountability Counsel call for the following:

  1. Greater fairness for requesters and complainants under the CORE, including adequate notice, a fair hearing, and no appearance of bias;
  2. Greater support for complainants and requesters, to take into account and minimize the power and resource imbalance between parties, namely, the respondent corporations who have much more power and resources than the requesters and complainants; and
  3. Significant improvements to protect requesters and complainants. Requesters and complainants are putting their lives at risk to assist the CORE in identifying bad Canadian corporate actors. They are often vulnerable and may face retaliation for their efforts to hold Canadian companies accountable. They should be guaranteed the protections of human rights and environmental defenders and any other whistleblowers.

Review CLAIHR and Accountability Counsels’ complete submissions here.

By |November 17th, 2020|Uncategorized|
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