Current Issues

--> Solitary Confinement
--> Afghan Detainees
--> Ongoing Court Cases

Supreme Court of Canada rules on Khadr: Breach of Charter Rights exists, but Government must determine Remedy

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on the case of Omar Khadr last Friday in a decision that reinforces human rights but leaves it to the Government to determine the remedy for violation of those rights. Read more…

It’s not the place of the government to dictate how women should dress.

Following the report of a parliamentary information mission in France which proposes a ban on wearing burqas in schools, hospitals and other public services, some suggest that similar legislation should be adopted Canada. The CCLA suggested we should reject such a proposition. If the government has no place in the bedrooms of the nation, it does not belong in the closet either. Governments should not dictate how women must dress : it is equally wrong to force someone to wear a burqa as to require her to remove it.

This does not mean that governments can do nothing to counter the pressures that some women may face by their husbands, brothers or fathers to wear an outfit that isolates and stigmatizes them. We must keep focused on the elimination of violence against women, on equal access to employment and education and strong messages about equality between women and men. It is women who should decide what they want to wear: they should not have to obey the fashion dictates of their husbands nor those of the state.

Upcoming Panel Discussion on Proposed Cyber Surveillance Laws

The CCLA and the Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights will be co-hosting a panel discussion on recent legislative proposals that would make it easier for law enforcement to obtain electronic telecommunications data. The event, Overdue Update or Big Brother? Lawful Access and Cyber Surveillance, will take place at the U of T law school on February 25, 2010 from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Topics covered will include: the emerging realities of internet privacy, informational privacy, and defence and crown perspectives on proposed “lawful access” legislation. Speakers will include Professor David Murakami Wood, Canada Research Chair in Surveillance Studies at Queen’s University, Professor Lisa Austin, from the U of T law school, Bob Hubbard, from the Ministry of the Attorney General, and criminal defence lawyer Adam Boni. To read a more comprehensive notice about the event and speaker bios, click here. Please RSVP by registering on the Asper Centre Website: www.aspercentre.ca .

Freedom of Association – Harmonizing Canadian Norms with International Commitments

Title: Freedom of Association – Harmonizing Canadian Norms with International Commitments
Location: Saskatoon – University of Saskatchewan
Link out: Click here
Description: This conference will review the character, evolution and status of freedom of association at work as a global right, will examine domestic law and practice in light of Canada’s international obligations and, to the extent that they are incompatible, will explore ways that Canadian norms may be harmonized with Canada’s international obligations.
Start Date: 2010-02-25
End Date: 2010-02-27

Khadr decision to be released on Friday January 29th, 2010

CCLA has just learned that the decision in the case of Canada v. Omar Khadr will be released on Friday January 29th 2010. CCLA was an intervener in the case. This is the second time that lawyers for Omar Khadr reach the Supreme Court to obtain legal redress for the young Canadian man who has been incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay since his arrest in Afghanistan in 2002 at the age of 15. The case was heard last December.

 
  Older Entries »