ACS WINS MOCK TRIAL REGIONAL COMPETITION
ACS WINS MOCK TRIAL REGIONAL COMPETITION
On Monday, March 31st the Ontario Bar Association’s annual mock trial regional competition was held in Brantford. Returning champions, Assumption College hosted the tournament against nine other schools from across southwestern Ontario. Teams from as far away as Niagara, London, Kitchener and Burlington participated in the regional competition this year.
This year’s case focused on hate crime and prejudice against a distinct cultural group. This is an ambiguous part of Canadian law in which students had to work diligently to defend or prosecute a radio host who publicly made derogatory and hateful statements against a particular ethnic group. There have been very few cases in Canada that use these sections of the Criminal Code. In fact, many judges and lawyers have never been exposed to such a case, as it coincides with a person’s right to freedom of speech. Following four rounds of trials the finals came down to Assumption College, Brantford, as defence against Assumption Secondary School from Burlington, as the Crown. The final case was held in Brantford’s Superior Court, one of Canada’s oldest courtrooms. After intense deliberation and questioning, Assumption College impeccably defended the accused and once again were crowned regional champions. Team coach Mrs. Tunnicliffe said, “Both Ms. Weiler and myself were extremely impressed with how well the team performed, and several of the judges attested to the strength of all the teams involved.”
Prior to the regional competition the Assumption College school mock trial team had been thoroughly preparing for the case. Evidently the team’s hard work and effort paid off as they continue to compete at the provincial level.
The Assumption College mock trial team will now travel to Toronto on April 15th and 16th for the provincial competition against the top eight teams from across all of Ontario. The provincial competition is part of Ontario’s Law Day celebrations. Law Day is a commemoration of the signing of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The focus of Law Day is to educate the public on the importance and relevance of Canadian law. The team is comprised of lawyers Jason Almeida, Song-Liang Lai, Justin Mels and Melanie Sousa, and witnesses Stephanie Davis and Chris Radojewski. The team also consists of student coach Kyle Cogger and team coaches Mrs. Tunnicliffe and Ms. Weiler.
The regional competition was a very successful day enjoyed by all teams involved. Even for students not planning to follow a path involving law the experience was beneficial.
“Overall the team, even on a school level, has benefited tremendously from these competitions. They ensure that students see real courtroom proceedings before pursuing their respective goals, whether that be law or otherwise,” said Kyle Cogger.
The Assumption College team is looking forward to competing in the provincials. “We look forward to performing our case at the provincial level. We’ve worked hard to get this far and hope to make it all the way,” said Justin Mels. No matter if they win or lose, it is apparent that the students will benefit from participating in an event that exemplifies Canada’s legal system in action.
Written By Melanie Sousa
