A sabbatical in Canada

At the beginning of March 2019, Frédéric Bouhon and his family set down their bags in Halifax, Canada, for a 6-month stay. A look back at a most rewarding experience.

Let's start by setting the scene. When we think of Canada, we often think of Quebec City or Montreal on the French side, or Vancouver or Toronto on the English side. Your sabbatical took place in a lesser known city..

Indeed, it is Dalhousie University in Halifax that opened its doors to me for 6 months. It is located in Nova Scotia. It is an English-speaking province on the Atlantic Ocean, in the east of Canada.

What did you work on there?

I spent most of my time working on a research project on fundamental rights and risk. More concretely, I am interested in how the European Court of Human Rights judges the reactions of states to risks that could infringe a fundamental right. For example, if it can be shown that the police were aware of a threat to a person's life and did not act adequately, the state can be considered to have violated the fundamental right to life.

Isn't it a contradiction to go to Canada to study a question relating to a European jurisdiction?

No, because I try to immerse myself as much as possible in other disciplines to approach this notion of risk, which is complex and interdisciplinary by nature. This risk can be economic, social, psychological..

During this sabbatical, I was able to take an interest in the way Canadian law approaches these issues. I also had the opportunity to confront my ideas and my project with an audience that has a different perception of things. Most importantly, I was able to free up a lot more time to read, meet with other researchers and move forward with my project..

Such a stay cannot be improvised. How did you go about making this sabbatical a reality?

The organization of this trip started in 2017, when I received an invitation from Dalhousie University, one of the Canadian universities I had contacted. I had to organize on several levels to be able to make it happen.

At the academic level, I was able to adjust my schedule, thanks to the support of the Law Department, in order to give a maximum number of courses during the first semester and have time during the second. In the end, I only suspended one elective course.

On the financial side, I applied for a grant from the FNRS through the R&D Administration to cover some expenses.

Finally, on a personal level, my partner and I chose to leave with our family. She was able to take advantage of a parental leave and our two young children went to school on site. This also required some organization.

Did the experience meet your expectations?

Yes, a lot! I was able to make contacts, present my work, have more time than usual to pursue a research topic... I also used this time to travel within Canada and visit other universities, especially in Quebec and Alberta.

On a personal level, this experience was very enriching and we enjoyed what Halifax and its surroundings had to offer. We came back with new energy and new ideas.

Any advice for researchers who would like to follow your example?

Don't wait for the right moment because it never comes! If you want to live this experience, give yourself a 2 or 3 year goal and put things in place to achieve it.