Ensuring rights violations are remedied.

CCLA works to ensure that when rights are violated, there are meaningful remedies for those impacted.

Within the criminal justice system, questions frequently arise about what should happen during a trial when a piece of evidence was obtained illegally, or the investigative or pretrial process violated an individual’s rights. When should illegally-obtained evidence be excluded from trial? If a person was illegally detained by police, unlawfully strip searched, or denied access to a lawyer, should the justice system still be able to move forward with the charges?

Guarantees of rights are illusory if individuals cannot access meaningful remedies. In the case of repeated, systemic rights violations, remedies should contemplate not only the harm done to individuals and communities in the past, but also how to assist in stopping ongoing harms, and preventing future rights violations. Ensuring there are meaningful remedies for serious rights violations is an essential part of making constitutional rights real for both accused persons as well as the many others who interact with the criminal justice system but are never charged with a crime.

Our Work on Constitutional Remedies

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Supreme Court endorses high threshold to dismiss abuse of process applications

June 15, 2023
On April 28, 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in R. v.…

Supreme Court Dodges Key Issue in R. v. McGregor

February 21, 2023
A majority of the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. McGregor opted not to…

CCLA at the Supreme Court to ensure meaningful adjudication of Charter claims

October 4, 2022
The CCLA is at the Supreme Court of Canada today arguing that courts should not…

Protecting the Right to Silence and Ensuring Meaningful Remedies When Police Violate the Charter

February 14, 2022
CCLA is appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada to reinforce the limits of state…

No Remedy and No Right – SCC Strikes a Double Blow

February 8, 2019
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) will challenge the Government of Nova Scotia’s exceptionally broad injunction limiting…

CCLA at the Supreme Court: Does a Charter violation require a remedy?

February 6, 2019
Mr. Bird doing too much bird is the issue before the Supreme Court of Canada…