Manitoba negotiation experts gather in Halifax

Expert negotiation and mediation scholars based at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law are gaining recognition on a national and international level this summer at two back-to-back events held in Halifax. No less than five UM Law representatives took part in the inaugural Canadian Association for Dispute Resolution Education conference hosted at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, Halifax on June 28 and 29, 2026, with three presenting papers. Four of these experts stayed on to judge at the International Negotiation Competition held for the first time in Canada.

Inaugural gathering of dispute resolution scholars

Drs. Bruce Curran, Michelle Gallant, Laura Reimer and Jennifer Schulz, along with negotiation instructor Andrea Doyle, attended the inaugural meeting of the Canadian Association of Dispute Resolution Education (CADRE). At the conference, Schulz presented a paper on “Mediating Business Disputes with Indigenous Entrepreneurs”; Reimer presented on “Developing and Expanding Dispute Resolution Education in the Faculty of Law at University of Manitoba”; and Curran co-presented with John Kleefeld of the University of New Brunswick on “Negotiating the Curriculum: Reflective Practice, Professional Identity, the Canadian National Negotiation Competition (CNNC).”

In her paper, Schulz argued that Western mediation cannot be superimposed onto Indigenous business disputes but rather, particular features of Indigenous conflict resolution must inform efforts to mediate business disputes with Indigenous entrepreneurs in Canada.

Reimer’s presentation explored the the various ways that the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law is transforming itself and its curriculum in order to enable students and faculty to transform conflict.

Situated at the intersection of experiential education theory and dispute resolution practice, Curran’s and Kleefeld’s presentation invited scholars to engage with questions about how negotiation is best taught, assessed, and embedded in the legal curriculum, based on the authors’ decade of experience with the Canadian National Negotiation Competition.

“It was a great opportunity to spend time with many of my excellent dispute resolution colleagues at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law as well as meet and share with experienced dispute resolution scholars from across Canada,” said Doyle.

Curran added, “The University of Manitoba Faculty of Law was very strongly represented at this conference (the most attendees of any Faculty), which I was delighted to see!”

Curran and Kleefeld presented their paper on “Negotiating the Curriculum” twice, the second time to an audience of the International Negotiation Competition (INC) students as part of an introductory “Master Class” which included several other presentations.

First time in Canada: The International Negotiation Competition

Hosted for the first time in Canada at Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law, the INC invited UM’s team of experts including Curran, Doyle, Gallant and Reimer to act as judges (Schulz, an internationally renowned scholar in the field, had important commitments elsewhere). Twenty-two international teams in total competed in this English language event, even though some competitors were competing in their second language, “albeit to a high degree of proficiency,” Curran noted.

Competing teams hailed from far and wide including Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, England, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, the United States and Wales. Canada fielded teams from Windsor and McGill universities.

“The competitors I observed were top quality,” said Curran, “and I was particularly impressed with the team from New Zealand, who ultimately won the competition.”

“I very much enjoyed being a judge,” he added. “In addition to completing a scoring sheet, I also had the opportunity (with the two other judges on the panel) to provide the competitors with feedback as to what they did well and potential areas for improvement.”

Curran and Doyle sat on one judging panel, while Gallant and Reimer sat on another panel, all receiving positive feedback on their contributions.

“I was honoured to be a judge at the INC and it was a pleasure to meet students, coaches, and negotiation judges from around the world,” said Doyle. “Thank you to the organizers of the conference and the INC for your diligent work and to Dalhousie University, Schulich School of Law for hosting these important events. Congratulations to all 22 teams participating in the INC for all of your preparation and excellent negotiations!”