The University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law congratulates its Laskin Moot Team which placed second overall for their factums. The Laskin Moot is a highly regarded annual national bilingual moot in administrative and constitutional law. In 2026, the Laskin Moot was hosted by Osgoode Hall at the Federal Court in Toronto on February 27 and 28.
The Manitoba Team consisted of Avery Alexiuk, Joshua Dondo, Andreas Kastellanos, Eric Matthews, and Tess Poulton. The team was expertly coached by Judge Denis Guénette and Tamara Edkins [JD/2019] (Manitoba Department of Justice). This year’s moot problem involved fictitious amendments to the Indigenous Languages Act implementing greater obligations in the educational context.
Second place overall for factums
The team was honoured to have won second place for their factums which is based on a combined total score of both the Appellant and Respondent factums. Eric Matthews and Joshua Dondo represented the Appellant, the Attorney General of Canada. Tess Poulton and Andreas Kastellanos represented the Respondent, Effené First Nation. Avery Alexiuk was the team’s researcher. Coaches Judge Denis Guénette and Tamara Edkins were impressed by the performance of all four oralists and greatly appreciated the efforts of the team researcher.
Bilingual moot
A unique aspect of the Laskin Moot is that it is a bilingual moot where at least one mooter from each team must prepare their written and oral argument in French. Joshua Dondo, a student of the Access to Justice in French Concentration (A2JF Concentration) fulfilled this important requirement. Furthermore, four out of the five students on the Manitoba Team completed courses within the Faculty’s A2JF Concentration and were able to provide support in both French and English.
Experiential learning
The students emphasized the important learning and rewarding experience of participating in the Laskin Moot and the support they received from their coaches and practice judges. Kastellanos stated, “The Laskin moot was an incredible experience. While it required significant preparation, the end result was truly rewarding. To put all your hard work into a final event, where you are advocating in court in front of real judges from across the country was something I will never forget.”
Alexiuk said, “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of the University of Manitoba’s team participating in the Laskin Moot competition this year. It was an unforgettable and rewarding experience, and a bittersweet way to conclude our time studying together at Robson Hall.”
Matthews stated on behalf of the team, “It was a tremendous experience to represent Robson Hall and compete against some of the top moot teams in Canada at the 40th annual Laskin Moot competition. Our team performed well and we are thrilled to have been awarded second place for our appellant and respondent factums. Thank you to our coaches, Tamara Edkins and Judge Denis Guénette, for their efforts and support.”
Proud coaches
Coaches Guénette and Edkins noted that each mooter performed skillfully at the competition, providing meaningful responses to the judges’ questions while maintaining their composure. They remarked, “By the end of the competition, it was apparent that all the hard work invested by each of our team members – from the point of establishing arguments upon drafting their award-winning factums, and into the refinement of arguments over the course of each practice before our own panels of practice judges – paid off. This undoubtedly will prove to be among the highest of highlights of each of their law school experiences!”
Community effort
The Manitoba Laskin Team wish to thank their coaches, Judge Denis Guénette and Tamara Edkins for their dedication and hard work as well as the support of members of l’Association des juristes d’expression française du Manitoba (AJEFM), including the judges, lawyers and professors who volunteered their time to provide valuable guidance, insight and advice to the team during their practices including Chief Justice Marianne Rivoalen, Justice Anne Turner, Eric Gagnon, Myriam Hacault, Bradley Légaré, Simone Marcoux, Stephen McIntosh, Lisa Miclette, Laura Nagy, Karine Pelletier, Dr. Lorna Turnbull, and Betta Wishart.
The team concluded by thanking all of the practice judges for sharing their time and expertise which were invaluable in preparation for the moot, “Thank you very much for generously sharing your time and expertise with us as we prepared to attend the Laskin Moot! Your feedback and guidance have been instrumental to the team’s success, and it has been especially rewarding to see our oralists develop greater confidence both in their arguments and in their abilities as advocates throughout this process.”
