Our Team in the Media
Warda Shazadi Meighen – Memo to the new cabinet: Canada must meet the moment in Afghanistan
Imagine that you are a female judge in Afghanistan at this very moment: having gone from being in the epicenter of justice just a few months ago to a basement hideaway trying not to breathe too loudly. You are now hunted by the Taliban, by ...
Warda Shazadi Meighen & Rachel Bryce – Climate migration is already happening – Canada must lead in developing a coherent response
Representatives from much of the world gathered in Glasgow to discuss how to respond to the existential impacts of climate change. COP26 brought with it a heightened sense of urgency and the destructive effects of climate change can no longer be ignored, even for the ...
Warda Shazadi Meighen – « J’ai pu fuir, mais je recommence tout à zéro » : une juge afghane en exil se confie
Tayeba Parsa fait partie des rares femmes juges à avoir réussi à quitter Kaboul après l’arrivée des talibans. Elle vit depuis en Europe de l’Est, ignorant ce que l’avenir lui réserve. Dans un témoignage exclusif, elle replonge dans les souvenirs de son périple mouvementé et ...
Warda Shazadi Meighen – Is it time for Canada to open its doors to climate migrants?
As huge swathes of the world become uninhabitable due to rising heat, a group of refugee lawyers say Canada could become an important oasis. In February 2021, Ana Hernandez stood on the south bank of the Rio Grande River cradling her two-year-old son as they ...
Erin Simpson – “I defied the Taliban, and now my family is in grave danger”
On the morning they left, my elderly parents, older brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece all watched as their neighbours packed up cars filled with clothes, food and water. Women frantically urged their children into waiting cars, their faces veiled and bodies engulfed by sky-blue burkas...
Warda Shazadi Meighen – Lawyers speaking for the ignored during the pandemic
While the many negative impacts of the pandemic are obvious, including lives and livelihoods lost, others are not as visible. In this issue, we spoke with a few lawyers who are working to change that...
Warda Shazadi Meighen – The path to Canadian immigration has gotten a bit bumpy with COVID-19
For at least some would-be immigrants to Canada, there was a bit of good news announced in mid-February. The federal government said that it sent invitations to 27,300 candidates to apply for permanent resident status under the Canadian Experience Class category, giving them 90 days ...
Warda Shazadi Meighen – Why Canada needs to think about accepting climate change refugees
As countries around the world wrestle with the growing impacts of global warming — including fires, droughts and rising sea levels — there's one that critics say Canada is failing to properly consider: climate change refugees...
Warda Shazadi Meighen – 2021 Lexpert Leading Lawyer to Watch in the area of immigration
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory profiles leading practitioners across Canada in over 60 practice areas and leading law firms in over 40 practice areas as identified via an extensive, annual peer survey...
Landings LLP – U of T Law alumnae launch firm devoted to refugee, immigration and human rights law
Warda Shazadi Meighen (JD 2009) says the decision to pursue her area of practice was personal: she and her family arrived in Canada as refugees...
Jacqueline Swaisland – Family facing deportation from Canada say return to Portugal puts ‘our lives at risk’
A family in Milton, Ont., is racing against the clock to be able to stay in Canada, saying that being deported to Portugal will put their health in jeopardy...
Warda Shazadi Meighen Named a 2020 Lexpert® Rising Star
We are pleased to announce that partner, Warda Shazadi Meighen, has been named as a Leading Lawyer Under 40 by Lexpert® Magazine. This honour celebrates leading lawyers in Canada under the age of 40 who have an outstanding track record of success. Here is what ...
Warda Shazadi Meighen – Oxford University Refugee Studies Centre Alumni
Global migration captured my imagination from a young age and years ago, inspired me to become a lawyer...
Jacqueline Swaisland – Canada releasing immigration detainees at ‘unprecedented’ rates amid COVID-19 fears
The number of immigration detainees held in provincial jails and immigration holding centres across Canada has dropped by more than half since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic...
Jacqueline Swaisland – Lucene Charles granted stay so Federal Court can review her case
The call Lucene Charles was desperately waiting for came as she stepped out of the Tropicanada Schwarma and Grill and onto the King Street West sidewalk Friday. She was not being deported...
Erin Simpson – Refugee lawyers applaud federal funding after Ford’s legal aid cuts
Refugee lawyers are applauding the federal government's decision to put $26 million toward Ontario refugee and immigration legal aid services after the province cut the program's budget...