The 2024 Brandon Langhjelm Essay Contest celebrates academic excellence and fuels the ambitions of the next generation of scholars and leaders in Canada. We want to hear your thoughts on Canada’s most controversial and difficult questions about individual rights and freedoms.
About Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
Founded in 2010, we defend the constitutional freedoms of Canadians through litigation and education.Our vision is a free society where governments uphold human dignity by respecting fundamental rights and freedoms, and where Canadians can realize their potential and fulfil their aspirations. Our mission is to defend the constitutional freedoms of Canadians through litigation and education.... continue reading
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Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms Brandon Langhjelm Essay Contest
Aim and Benefits of Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms Brandon Langhjelm Essay Contest
Prizes
- First Place - $2,000
- Second Place - $1,000
- Third Place - $500
Requirements for Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms Brandon Langhjelm Essay Contest Qualification
Please review your eligibility for the contest and follow all the guidelines in this document. Essays that violate these guidelines will be disqualified.
Eligibility
- Contestants must be a permanent resident or citizen of Canada or have proof of immigration status in Canada.
- Contestants must be aged 15-25 at time of contest deadline. Age verification will be required for all winning contestants.
- The Justice Centre will not accept submissions from its directors, employees, representatives, or their immediate family and household members.
Length
- Essays should be at least 1,200 words but should not exceed 1,500 words.
- The word count does not apply to footnotes or to bibliography.
- The word count must be included on the submitted document.
Formatting
- Essays should not contain any personal, identifying information about the contestant (e.g., their name, email address, or gender). Essays containing such information will be disqualified
- Essays should contain a clearly marked title page, introduction, body, conclusion, and bibliography.
- Essays should be double-spaced with (a minimum of) one-inch margins
- Any font is acceptable (Times New Roman is preferred)
- Essay should be submitted in PDF format.
Sources
- Essays should use a variety of sources—academic journals, news sources, magazines, online and print newspapers, books, government documents, or publications from research organizations.
- At least three of the cited materials should be primary sources (i.e., not a second-hand account of a primary source).
- General encyclopedias (including Wikipedia) are not acceptable sources. Any citations to general encyclopedias in the footnotes or bibliography will result in deductions.
- All sources should be properly cited. (The Justice Centre has no citation style preference. However, whatever style is used must be used consistently and properly.)
- Contestants must submit an original essay. By submitting an essay, contestants acknowledge that the material is original and their own.
- Essays that contain plagiarism (use someone else’s work without properly citing them) will be automatically disqualified.
Interview date, Process and Venue for Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms Brandon Langhjelm Essay Contest
- Eligibility: Canadians aged 15-25 by contest deadline
- Length: 1,200 to 1,500 words
- Deadline: November 3, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.
- Winners announced: December 9, 2024
Before submission, please review:
Application Deadline
November 3, 2024
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to
Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms on www.jccf.ca to apply
Essay Topic
Option One: Government Regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries from healthcare to finance, manufacturing to entertainment, art to academia. Some Canadians are concerned about the impacts AI could have on their rights and freedoms, including their security, privacy, equality, expression, and legal rights.
Question #1: Focus on one case in which AI threatens or could potentially threaten the rights or freedoms of Canadians. What role, if any, should the Canadian government play in protecting Canadians against AI in this case? Why should the government be permitted to intervene in the application of AI in this case (if at all)?
Option Two: Government Regulation of Hate Speech:
Freedom of expression is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Many Canadians think, however, that hate speech should be illegal in Canada. Canadian governments are proposing legislation that would see hate speech punished more severely. For instance, in early 2024, Minister of Justice Arif Virani introduced Bill C-63 (the Online Harms Act) in the House of Commons to create additional penalties for hate speech in Canada – up to life imprisonment.
Question #2: What is hate speech? Is it possible to arrive at a workable definition of “hate speech”? Does the government have a legitimate interest in censoring hate speech? Why or why not? Cite a case in which a Canadian government has censored hate speech. Was the censorship legitimate in that case?
For more details, visit Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms 2024 Brandon Langhjelm Essay Contest webapage
