Articles on Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Displaying 1 - 20 of 40 articles
A sign outside the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge, B.C. The B.C. government has introduced legislation that would ban people convicted of serious crimes from changing their names.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
British Columbia’s proposed ban on name changes could impact people’s Charter rights and undermine the rehabilitation and reintegration of those convicted of crimes.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs delivers the State of the Province speech in Fredericton, N.B. in January 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
New Brunswick’s proposed Compassion Intervention Act could motivate the Supreme Court of Canada to impose restrictions on the notwithstanding clause.
The second-generation cut-off rule excludes children whose parents have a demonstrable connection to Canada, and who have a high likelihood of being connected to Canada as well.
(Shutterstock)
For years, people known as the ‘lost Canadians’ pushed for changes that would address discriminatory provisions in the Citizenship Act. They succeeded, and now amendments are being considered.
Sarah Jama at the opening of her Hamilton Centre constituency office, Nov. 14, 2023. Jama opened the office as an Independent MPP after the Ontario NDP kicked her out of caucus for posting a statement in support of Palestinians.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Censure might occasionally be necessary to preserve the integrity of a parliament, but using it to punish members for their personal views threatens the foundations of democracy.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a Liberal Party of Canada fundraising event in Ottawa on Nov. 21, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Justin Trudeau has been in power for almost a decade, achieving some of his objectives and stalling on others. What will be his legacy, and is constitutional reform in the cards in the next two years?
Tents at an encampment in Crab Park, Vancouver, in August 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
If passed, B.C.’s Bill 45 will trample over the constitutional rights of unhoused people by ignoring shelter barriers, Indigenous rights and the need for daytime shelter
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks to the media at the Saskatchewan legislature in Regina. His government plans to invoke the notwithstanding clause to override a judge’s injunction and introduce legislation about the province’s pronoun policy in school.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
The only solution to the ominous threats posed by the increasing use of the notwithstanding clause is to amend Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Sex workers and their supporters gather outside the Ontario Superior Court during the launch of their constitutional challenge to Canada’s sex work laws, on Oct. 3, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin
In the decades to come, Canada’s Supreme Court will undoubtedly issue rulings related to climate change, Indigenous Peoples and other critical issues. Justin Trudeau’s legacy will be evident.
The Sudbury 17 wildfire burns east of Mississagi Provincial Park near Elliot Lake, Ont., on June 4, 2023.
(Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms prohibits Canadian police from using excessive force and conducting unreasonable searches. But research has found many cases of police violating the Charter.
Changes to Canadian law will affect how data can be collected and distributed.
(Shutterstock)
Does privacy law in Canada do enough to protect us from entities like tech platforms, retailers, the police, hackers and criminals?
Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro speaks during a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers’ meeting on bail reform in Ottawa in March 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Those determining bail must reflect on their own beliefs and show restraint as they determine risk to avoid relying on false racist narratives. So should those calling for bail reform.
A woman and a child stand in a detention camp in northeast Syria in 2022. Tens of thousands of ISIS-affiliated foreign nationals are in the camps, including four Canadian men.
(AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)
Brian L. Cox, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
A Federal Court justice ruled four men, suspected ISIS members, must be repatriated to Canada from a Syrian detention camp. Here’s why the decision is flawed and an ongoing appeal is justified.
A protester walks along the sidewalk in front of the Parliament buildings in February 2022 in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
There’s no equivalence between invoking the Emergencies Act and the pre-emptive invocation of the notwithstanding clause, which guts Canadian democracy and nullifies the Charter.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during a news conference, as Education Minister Stephen Lecce looks on in Toronto on Nov. 7, 2022. Ontario has repealed legislation that imposed a contract on 55,000 education workers and invoked the notwithstanding clause.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
A Supreme Court reference on the notwithstanding clause could look beyond the highly polarized reactions to any particular law and get at the heart of the issue.
CUPE members and supporters join a demonstration outside the office of Parm Gill, Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Milton, Ont., on Nov. 4, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn
Frustration about unsettled bargaining that predates the pandemic could get channelled into pronounced resistance from educational workers during the coming months.
Minister of Justice David Lametti participates in an Ottawa news conference in June 2022 on proposed amendments to the Criminal Code in response to a Supreme Court of Canada decision involving a defence of extreme intoxication.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
More than a dozen women’s organizations pleaded with the federal government to slow down and treat their concerns seriously about Bill C-28. It didn’t listen.
King Charles and Prince William arrive for Queen Elizabeth’s committal service at Windsor Castle on Sept. 19, 2022.
(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, Pool)
Whatever Queen Elizabeth’s personal qualities, it’s time to determine how the monarchy fits Canada’s current situation as an independent country and its aspirations for the future.
Professor, Research Chair in Language Rights, Faculty of Law | Professeur, Chaire de recherche Droits et enjeux linguistiques, Faculté de droit. 2021 Fellow, Fondation Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa