2025 Charles D. Gonthier Research Fellowship
Environment and the Law
Each year, CIAJ supports research on a fundamental issue related to its annual conference. In 2025, the $9,000 Charles D. Gonthier Research Fellowship will focus on the theme of “The Environment and the Law“, echoing the theme of our 49th annual conference.
Open to faculty and graduate students at Canadian universities, the fellowship is designed to encourage innovative research that will shed light on the links between justice and contemporary environmental challenges.
Why should you apply?
- Contribute to an essential reflection on environmental crises, legal implications, and human rights.
- Take part in a national discussion that will bring together researchers, judges, lawyers, decision-makers and civil society players.
- Present your results in a recognized academic setting and publish your work in a specialized journal.
How to apply
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Deadline: June 30, 2025
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Fill in this form and e-mail it to ciaj@ciaj-icaj.ca.
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The recipient will be informed at the end of August and will have to submit his/her report by the end of September 2025.
Notes :
- The recipient of the Charles D. Gonthier Research Fellowship is encouraged to seek publication of the paper in a reputable scholarly publication and to indicate, in an introductory note, that financial support for the research was provided by CIAJ.
- In addition to submission of a completed research report, CIAJ expects to receive a complete account of expenditures.
About the $9,000 Charles D. Gonthier Research Fellowship
CIAJ provides funds for the Charles D. Gonthier Research Fellowship, named in honour of the late Mr. Justice Charles D. Gonthier of the Supreme Court of Canada, a former President of CIAJ. The $9,000 Fellowship was created in 2001 and supports research in relation to the topic of the annual conference.
Each conference focuses on a specific aspect of CIAJ’s themes:
- Justice as a humanistic and social value
- Justice as a public service
- Justice in a global economy and interdependent world
Administration of Funds
The funds are administered by CIAJ on behalf of the successful applicant and are available to support research assistance or other out-of-pocket expenses, but may not be used as an honorarium. It is expected that the completed research will be presented at CIAJ’s 48th Annual conference in October 2024 (Winnipeg, MB).
The maximum amount of the Fellowship is $9,000. The selection of the project for the research fellowship will be made by a committee composed of the President of the CIAJ (or his/her nominee), one of the Co-Chairs of the Education and Research Planning Committee, and one other person selected by the Executive Committee.
2023 Recipient
CIAJ’s 2023 Charles D. Gonthier Research Fellowship of $7,500 was given to Robert J. Currie, Distinguished Research Professor at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, for his project entitled “When (and Where) a Crime is a Crime? “Double Criminality” as a Principle of Fundamental Justice” in the context of CIAJ’s 47th Annual Conference on “The Law of Borders,” which will take place in person in Ottawa on October 25-27, 2023.
About Robert Currie
Robert J. Currie, K.C., is Distinguished Research Professor at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, where his teaching areas include: transnational, international and domestic criminal law; public international law; comparative criminal law; evidence; procedure; and advocacy. His scholarly work focuses on crime that crosses borders and the systems of law that regulate it, and he has published widely on a variety of subjects, including extradition, jurisdiction, cybercrime, transnational organized crime, corruption, and transnational criminal courts. His scholarly work has been cited by Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He is a co-editor and author of Kindred’s International Law (10th edition forthcoming 2025), the leading text from which public international law is taught in Canada, and a co-author of Carswell’s Annual Review of Criminal Law. A member in good standing of the Nova Scotia Bar, Professor Currie has appeared at all levels of court in that province and at Canada’s Federal Court. He regularly contributes to legal education seminars for the judiciary and the practicing bar, including the Federation of Law Societies’ National Criminal Law Program (NCLP), and acts as a consultant and advisor in criminal matters with transnational aspects. He is a member of the Canadian Task Force Against Global Corruption.
Past Recipients & Research papers: /en/research/research-papers/