On March 13, 2026, Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), issued the following statement:
The CCLA is deeply concerned by the Ontario Premier’s announcement that the Attorney General will seek an injunction to stop the annual Al Quds rally from taking place.
Let us be clear: the Premier does not need a court injunction to enforce the law. If there are credible threats, acts of violence, intimidation, criminal harassment, property damage, or any other unlawful conduct, police already have broad powers under the Criminal Code to respond. Those laws exist precisely to protect public safety, and they can and should be enforced where necessary, including at protests.
What the government is proposing goes much further. Seeking to shut down an entire protest before it has even begun is an extraordinary and dangerous step. It is a pre-emptive attack on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, both of which are fundamental Charter-protected freedoms in a democratic society.
The Charter does not protect violence or threats of violence. But it does protect dissent, controversy, and speech the government may find offensive or unpopular. A free society cannot allow the state to silence expression in advance based on speculation, politics, or anticipated controversy.
If the Premier has evidence of a credible and imminent threat to public safety, he should disclose it. If he does not, he should stop pretending that existing laws are somehow insufficient. They are not.
The CCLA will be monitoring these court proceedings closely.
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
For the Media
For further comments, please contact us at media@ccla.org.
English (Canada) 
Français du Canada