Category: charter rights

AB Premier Appoints MLA Tracy Allard as Parliamentary Secretary for Civil Liberties

EDMONTON—Alberta cabinet Grand Prairie MLA Tracy Allard has been appointed the province’s parliamentary secretary for civil liberties, a new position that the premier said would advise to cabinet on how property and civil rights can be addressed in legislation. Danielle Smith discussed the new position on Dec. 17 during her weekly Saturday radio show, saying…


Criminal Charges Dropped Against Vancouver ‘Street Preacher’

Criminal charges of mischief and creating a disturbance have been dropped against street preacher Steven Brown, who was arrested in the summer of 2021 while sharing his religious views on a Vancouver public sidewalk. His lawyer, Carol Crosson, says the charges never should have been laid. Brown now intends to pursue further legal action against…


Ottawa’s Proposed Bills to Curtail Online Harms ‘Oblivious’ to Reality: Former CRTC Officials

Any attempts to regulate the internet should stay as far as possible from trying to manage what people have to say, for at best, it leads to a quagmire of legal wrangling; at worst, it leads to suppression of free speech by the government, say former chairs of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)….


Ottawa’s Proposed Bills to Curtail Online Harms ‘Oblivious’ to Reality: Former CRTC Chairs

Any attempts to regulate the internet should steer clear of trying to manage what people have to say, for at best it leads to a quagmire of legal wrangling, while at worst it leads to suppression of free speech by the government, say former chairs of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). “Early efforts…


Canadians Were ‘Persuaded to Fear COVID-19 Too Much’: Constitutional Rights Group

Two years have passed since Canadian governments first imposed lockdown measures across the country in mid-March 2020, among other COVID-19 restrictions—a deviation from the initial order of a two-week lockdown to “flatten the curve” that calls for an apology from officials, a constitutional rights group says. On March 15, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom…


Enforcing COVID-19 Measures Violates Police Officers’ Oath Under Constitution, Charter Rights Group Says

Some Canadian police and military officers are increasingly concerned about violating their oaths to protect the public as they enforce the COVID-19 health measures and restrictions, a Charter rights advocacy group says. Russ Cooper, president and CEO of Canadian Citizens for Charter Rights and Freedom (C3RF), said he finds it “quite disturbing” to see members…


Legal Organization Calls on Ontario to Revoke ‘Unconstitutional’ Vaccine Passport Mandate

A legal organization is calling on the Ontario government to revoke its vaccine passport mandate, citing “deep concerns” about the constitutionality of the measure. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms issued a letter (pdf) Sept. 22, demanding the government rescind the mandate, which requires Ontarians aged 12 and above to show proof of having taken two…


How Has It Happened That Politicians Deny Universal Human Rights in Canada?

Commentary “The father of the modern human rights system is John Humphrey.”—Nelson Mandela New Brunswick’s own John Humphrey was the author of the first draft of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mandela’s statement should not mislead us to conclude that the idea of human rights is a recent invention. It is not. The…


Opinion: How Has It Happened That Politicians Deny Universal Human Rights in Canada?

Commentary “The father of the modern human rights system is John Humphrey.”               – Nelson Mandela New Brunswick’s own John Humphrey was the author of the first draft of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mandela’s statement should not mislead us to conclude that the idea of human rights…


Professors Call on Two Ontario Universities to Repeal Mandatory Vaccination Policies

As universities across Ontario roll out mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies, Wilfrid Laurier professor William McNally says he found it upsetting to have to reveal his medical information but felt complying with this violation of his privacy was the only way he could keep his job. “So I made the choice to reveal that information. I…