Stephen J. Toope on A Rule of Law for Our Age of Anxiety

In this special keynote address, Stephen J. Toope argues that a renewed faith in the rule of law can address troubling developments in these anxious times. Anxiety can be addressed by bolstering social resilience, drawing upon a plural intellectual heritage. That heritage reveals a unique type of 'authority' in society, 'epistemic practical authority' built up continuously through social discourse and action, shifting focus from the state of 'being' to the dynamic of 'becoming.' What is law's role in this world? The modest, yet powerful, version of the rule of law for which he advocates is one that draws on a wellspring of practical wisdom - prudence gleaned from pragmatic experience. It chastens power, while not disconnecting law from other sources of social action and human agency.

Stephen J Toope OC, FRSC, LLD is President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). Previously, he served as the 346th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, the first non-UK national to hold the post. He was Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and President of the University of British Columbia.

Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/22c9eafc-6e7d-4de8-aead-ce47f73f2fe1

The ILA Canada Annual General Meeting will take place immediately after the keynote address.