The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has launched a new addition to its website, the Rights Watch Blog. Updated and maintained by law students across the country, it compiles local and national news and events regarding basic rights and freedoms in Canada. There are posts on relevant issues that arise in the news, before the courts, in government, and anywhere else that might catch the eye of our dedicated bloggers.
Go to http://www.ccla.org/rightswatch to visit the Rights Watch Blog, see what’s been making the news and join in on the discussion!
On January 18, 2010, the CCLA presented arguments before the Supreme Court of Canada in City of Vancouver, et al. v. Alan Cameron Ward, et al. This case, which concerned the availability of monetary damages for certain Charter infringing government conduct, is the result of a 2002 incident in which Mr. Ward, a member of public, was detained and stripped searched because police suspected he was going to throw a pie at Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. No pie was ever found and, after four and a half hours of detention. Mr. Ward was released without being charged. He subsequently launched a law suit in which he sought damages as a result of the affronts to his dignity which he had suffered. Read more…
The CCLA believes that the Canadian public has a constitutionally-protected right to receive information about the nature and the workings of our justice system. Lower Quebec Court decisions, however, found that the Charter’s guarantees of freedom of the press and freedom of expression did not apply in courthouses. This exclusion would frustrate freedom of expression, freedom of the press, the promotion of open courts, and ultimately democracy and justice itself.
Read more…
Image: L3/TSA
Since the recent announcement that 44 body scanners would be purchased for distribution to major Canadian airports, CCLA has been contacted about this new technology by both the media and members of the concerned public. Our organization has, however, been monitoring this issue for some time, aware of the potential implications for the privacy of travellers. Last year, CCLA filed an Access to Information request with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) seeking a report on a pilot project at the Kelowna airport in BC which tested the use of this technology. While heavily redacted, the report provides anecdotal evidence that the system is far from foolproof, and passengers who were asked to “help” test the technology had various strong objections to the scans. In addition to downloading the censored copy of the CATSA report here, you can also read some of CCLA’s comments on the implementation of the technology in this article by the Toronto Star.
The CCLA is greatly encouraged by Regina City Council’s unanimous vote to repeal the “Tag Day By-law”, a provision that was being used by Regina police to charge and fine panhandlers. In September 2009 CCLA wrote to Council, suggesting that the prohibition on panhandling could be an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of expression, and constituted poor public policy. Read more…
