Current Research
Ph.D. Law, University of British Columbia
Restructuring Refugee Resettlement
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Shauna Labman
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2008 Trudeau Scholar
shauna.labman@trudeaufoundation.net
Profile
Shauna Labman's work has taken her from the isolated Canadian arctic to the buzzing heat of China. She began her legal career at the Federal Court of Appeal working on issues ranging from immigration to tax and patent law. Confirming as her clerkship ended that the traditional practice of law was not for her, but committed to using her legal skills, Shauna set off to India for a six-month consultancy with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
She arrived in New Delhi with a knowledge base in human rights, minority issues and anti-discrimination law acquired though earlier volunteer work with Amnesty International and co-op placements at the Law Commission of Canada and the Nunavut Court of Justice. Her work with UNHCR involved conducting refugee status determinations of Myanmarese asylum seekers and preparing resettlement referrals for Afghan refugees. Shauna was struck by the reality that most refugees never make it to countries such as Canada that are willing to offer permanent protection, and instead remain in protracted states of limbo.
Following a stint at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing where she gained an appreciation of Canadian diplomacy and policy considerations, Shauna returned to Canada with a clear cause and career goal. Using the academic avenues open to her, she explores the intersection of rights, responsibility and obligation in the absence of a legal scheme for refugee resettlement, and argues for Canada to take the lead in creating a globally comprehensive policy. Shauna's research examines, analyzes, and ultimately advocates for the protection needs of the refugees she left behind in India, as well as those of other refugees who wait patiently, but powerlessly, around the world.
Trudeau Foundation Themes
Human Rights and Social Justice »
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Canada and the World » Current Residence
Vancouver, British ColumbiaLanguages
EnglishDegrees
- LL.M. (Law), University of British Columbia
- LL.B. (Law), University of Victoria
- B.A. English (Honours) and Religion & Literature, University of British Columbia
Current Research
Restructuring Refugee Resettlement
Refugees in states that have not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention demonstrate the conceptual failure of both universal rights and refugee protection. In the realm between the persecuting and protecting states, refugees lack anywhere to assert rights or find protection. Resettlement offers a potential resolution but is susceptible to abuse. Shauna's research focuses on the underlying rationale for a globally comprehensive refugee resettlement policy.
Past Research
- Resettlement's Renaissance: A Cautionary Advocacy
- Research Assistant, Centre for Feminist Legal Studies (UBC)
- Genetic Prophecies: The Future of the Canadian Workplace
- An Experiment in Innovation: Nunavut's Single-Level Trial Court
- Left in Legal Limbo: Transsexual Identity and the Law
Awards
- Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral), SSHRC
- Special Dean's Fund Fellowship, UBC Faculty of Law
- Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master's), SSHRC
- Law Foundation Fellowship, Law Foundation of British Columbia
- John Alexander MacDonald Humanities Award, UBC
Social Engagement
- Swim Coach, Special Olympics
- Executive Council Member, Graduate Law Student Society
- Volunteer, Iqaluit Pride & Friends of Pride
- Amnesty International Refugee Network Caseworker
- Articles Editor, "Appeal: Review of Current Law and Law Reform"
Work Experience
- Political & Economic Affairs Intern, Canadian Embassy in Beijing
- Junior Professional Consultant, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Law Clerk to Madam Justice Karen Sharlow, Federal Court of Appeal
- Law Clerk to Madam Justice Beverly Browne, Nunavut Court of Justice
- Researcher, Law Commission of Canada
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