Canadian Civil Liberties Association » Freedom of Religion

Gideon Bible Distribution in the Schools

Cara Zwibel — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:51:01 +0000

The issue of public school boards distributing Gideon Bibles is once again before some Ontario school boards. CCLA has previously expressed concerns about this practice and wrote about the issue to the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) on a number of occasions. The WRDSB subsequently rescinded their policy on the distribution of non-instructional religious [...]

Supreme Court to Consider Issue of Niqab in the Courtroom

Cara Zwibel — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:20:52 +0000

The Supreme Court of Canada will consider an appeal which looks at the issue of whether a sexual assault complainant may testify in Court while wearing a niqab for religious reasons. The case, on appeal from the Ontario Court of Appeal, arose when one of the defendants in a sexual assault case claimed that his [...]

CCLA Writes to the MNDMF Concerning KI Aboriginal Community’s Burial and Sacred Sites

Noa Mendelsohn Aviv — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:20:08 +0000

The CCLA has written to the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry (MNDMF) regarding a potential threat to traditional aboriginal burial sites and sacred lands that has resulted from a proposed mining and development project. In its letter, CCLA reminded the Minister of certain implications of Canada’s constitutional protection for freedom of religion, including [...]

No Secular School Option in Alberta Community of Significant Concern to CCLA

Cara Zwibel — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:01:36 +0000

The CCLA is deeply concerned about the situation in Alberta, where a community has been repeatedly denied a public secular school option for their children. The Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division (“GSACRD”) is the public school board in the Greater St. Albert region. This school division offers an education where “Catholic theology, philosophy, practices [...]

Religion in Schools

Communications — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:20:46 +0000

The debate over whether religion belongs in public schools has picked up again, with regards to whether – and to what extent – should a school accomodate students’ religion. The current debate focuses on a public school in Toronto that makes its cafeteria available to its (majority) Muslim students for Friday prayer

Here are some links [...]

CCLA to Intervene in Case on Religious Freedom in Schools

Cara Zwibel — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:32:49 +0000

On May 18, 2011 the Supreme Court of Canada will hear arguments in S.L., et al. v. Commission scolaire des Chenes, et al. This case will consider whether a school board’s refusal to exempt students from a portion of the curriculum violates freedom of religion under the Canadian and Quebec Charters. The controversy arises out [...]

A Victory for Equality Rights in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal

Cara Zwibel — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:14:39 +0000

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has handed a victory to advocates of equality in rendering its decision in a reference on proposed amendements to Saskatchewan’s Marriage Act. The proposed amendments would have allowed provincially appointed marriage commissioners to refuse to perform civil marriages where to do so would conflict with their religious beliefs. The amendments [...]

Re Marriage Commissioners appointed under The Marriage Act, 1995, S.S. 1995, c. M-4.1 (Saskatchewan Court of Appeal)

Noa Mendelsohn Aviv — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:35:36 +0000

A reference on proposed amendments to Saskatchewan’s Marriage Act which would have allowed provincially appointed marriage commissioners to refuse to perform civil marriages where to do so would conflict with their religious beliefs. CCLA intervened to argue that the amendments would unjustly violate the right to equality of same-sex couples and thereby risk creating a [...]

Freedom of Religion in the Schools: Distributing the Gideon Bible

Cara Zwibel — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:47:09 +0000

CCLA is deeply concerned about a resolution passed by the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) allowing Gideons International to distribute the Gideon Bible to grade 5 students. Schools will be sending home consent forms to all students in the fifth grade and providing the Gideon Bible to those students whose parents consent. CCLA expressed [...]

Debating Freedom of Religion: Bibles In The Classroom

Cara Zwibel — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:44:24 +0000

Cara Zwibel, director of the fundamental freedoms program at CCLA, debates whether distributing Gideon bibles in the classroom is an infringement of civil liberties, and particularly freedom of religion. Zwibel notes that while there is no official Church and state separation in Canada, court decisions have “talked about the need to ensure that [...]