An Overview of Freedom of Expression Following the Théâtre du Trident Decision

Online formation with TEAMS

**Activity run in FRENCH

Date: Friday November 3, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (Montreal time)

1:30 of Continuing Legal Education

 

Description:

Last April, the Court of Appeal handed down a rare ruling on freedom of expression in the arts. It brought to an end a long-running saga over whether theatres may use cigarettes on stage. The ruling provides an opportunity to review the issues surrounding freedom of expression. Intellectual property professor Georges Azzaria will open the event by summarizing the main findings of two reports he co-authored on the state of Canadian law for the international congresses of the Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale (ALAI) (The Hague, June 2026) and the International Association of Comparative Law (Berlin, September 2026). Playwright Isabelle Hubert, author of one of the plays at issue, will then discuss the practical impact of the lawsuits on the work of Quebec theatres. Finally, Benjamin Bolduc and Antoine Pellerin, who were part of the legal team that argued the case before the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal, will review the legal aspects of the case.

 

Costs (taxes not included):

Free for students

Free for "Adhésion +" members

$60.00 for members of ALAI Canada (you must be log in to see this to have access to this fee)

$120.00 for non-members

 

Guest speaker :

Georges Azzaria is a professor at the Faculty of Law of Université Laval in Quebec City. His early research focused on the relationship between art and copyright, as well as on the socio-economic status of artists. In recent years, he has turned his attention more specifically to artificial intelligence from the perspective of intellectual property and legal regulation. From 2017 to 2025, he served as director of his university's School of Art.

Mathilde Barraband is a professor of literary studies at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Co-holder of the FRQ-CNRS Research Chair on Contemporary Issues in Freedom of Expression (COLIBEX), she focuses her research on creative freedom in France and Quebec. She has also published several works on the relationship between art and law, contemporary French and Quebec literature, literary history, and the academic reception of contemporary literature. She is a member of the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la littérature et la culture québécoises (CRILCQ).

Benjamin Bolduc is a lawyer and a doctoral candidate in law at the University of Ottawa. He holds a first-year Licence in Law (Licence I) from the Université de Montpellier, as well as a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and a master's degree in rights and freedoms from Université Laval. Alongside his research, Mr. Bolduc practises at Tremblay Bois Avocats, where his work focuses on municipal law, administrative law, and fundamental rights and freedoms. He has also taught administrative law at Université Laval since 2024.

Isabelle Hubert has been building a body of theatrical work that has been staged in Quebec, across Canada and in France, for more than 30 years. Several of her plays have received awards and honours. A playwright, company director and teacher, she is deeply committed to the development of Quebec dramaturgy. She heads her own creation company and teaches playwriting at the Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Québec and at Université Laval. She has also taken part in numerous writing residencies, including in La Rochelle, London, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, Guadeloupe and Poland.

Antoine Pellerin is a lawyer and associate professor at the Faculty of Law of Université Laval, where he teaches and conducts research in administrative law, municipal law, and education law. He holds a Doctor of Laws (Université Laval) and a Master of Business Administration (Université de Sherbrooke). Professor Pellerin has held various administrative positions within Université Laval's Faculty of Law. He served as Director of Undergraduate Programs at the Faculty of Law, as a member of Université Laval's Commission des affaires étudiantes (Student Affairs Committee), and as Director of the Training Program for Investigators in the Québec Public Administration.