This volume brings together 13 texts, in English or French, from the conference organized by the Laboratory on Collective Actions of the University of Montreal, in collaboration with the Center on Civil Justice, NYU School of Law, in May 2017.

The objective of this conference was to initiate a reflection on the evolution of collective action, from its initial objectives and uses to contemporary practices and aims. The speakers questioned whether the collective action is satisfactory for the parties in demand, the members of the group, but also for the general public. Several questions were asked: what were the conceptions as well as the original uses and effects of collective action and how have they evolved over the last decades in North America? What evidence and data do we have on hand to verify whether the objectives of compensation, deterrence, and effectiveness have been met? What effect does collective action as a procedural mechanism have in current legal practice?

The publication includes:

• The Fourth Dimension to Class Actions: Access to a Meaningful Benefit — Catherine Piché
• Collective Action and Class Action — Samuel Issacharoff
• Collective Action and the Public Interest — Daniel Jutras
• Class Actions Come of Age in Ontario — Janet Walker
• Furthering Society's Interests: The Importance of Using (and Mitigating) Classwide Punitive Damages — Gabriel Panek
• European Collective Redress and Compensation: Reality or Illusion? — Stefaan Voet
• Authorization of Collective Action: Rationale, Application and Future Changes — Veronica Aimar
• Do Class Actions Deter Wrongdoing? — Brian T. Fitzpatrick
• Some Law & Economics of the Class Action — Ejan Mackaay
• What Tax Law Has to Say About Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp. and the Valuation of Contested Legal Rights: Loosening the Independent Valuation Requirement — Jordan Rux
• The Danger of Lowering the Authorization Threshold for Collective Actions Perspectives from a Defense Lawyer — Claude Marseille
• The Practice of Quebec Collective Action 1979-2017: From Hope to Concern — Pierre-Claude Lafond
• How the Class Action Has Evolved to Become the Procedural Tool It Is Today — Hon. Richard Wagner

Ce volume regroupe 13 textes, en anglais ou en français, issus du colloque organisé par le Laboratoire sur les actions collectives de l'Université de Montréal, en collaboration avec le Center on Civil Justice, NYU School of Law, en mai 2017.

L'objectif de ce colloque était d'entamer une réflexion sur l'évolution de l'action collective, de ses objectifs et usages initiaux aux pratiques et visées contemporaines. Les conférenciers se sont questionnés à savoir si l'action collective est satisfaisante pour les parties en demande, les membres du groupe, mais aussi pour le grand public. Plusieurs questions ont été posées : quelles étaient les conceptions ainsi que les usages et les effets originaux de l'action collective et comment ont-ils évolué au cours des dernières décennies en Amérique du Nord ? Quelle(s) preuve(s) (et données) avons-nous en main pour vérifier si les objectifs d'indemnisation, de dissuasion et d'efficacité ont été atteints? Quel effet l'action collective en tant que mécanisme procédural a-t-elle dans la pratique actuelle du droit?

Les réflexions abordées dans cet ouvrage sont les suivantes :

• The Fourth Dimension to Class Actions: Access to a Meaningful Benefit
• Collective Action and Class Action
• L'action collective et l'intérêt public
• Class Actions Come of Age in Ontario
• Furthering Society's Interests: The Importance of Using (and Mitigating) Classwide Punitive Damages
• European Collective Redress and Compensation: Reality or Illusion?
• L'autorisation de l'action collective : raisons d'être, application et changements à venir
• Do Class Actions Deter Wrongdoing?
• Some Law & Economics of the Class Action
• What Tax Law Has to Say About Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp. and the Valuation of Contested Legal Rights: Loosening the Independent Valuation Requirement
• Le danger d'abaisser le seuil d'autorisation en matière d'actions collectives – Perspectives d'un avocat de la défense
• La pratique de l'action collective québécoise 1979-2017 : de l'espoir à l'inquiétude
• Comment l'action collective est devenue la procédure qu'elle est aujourd'hui / How the Class Action has evolved to become the procedural tool it is today