Protecting Religious Freedom

Regardless of what you believe or practice, and whether you subscribe to a particular set of religious beliefs or don’t, protecting freedom of religion is an important part of ensuring that all people are treated with equal dignity and respect.

Freedom of religion helps to ensure that religious minorities are not the subject of discrimination. It also protects the rights of those whose beliefs may lie with the majority.

Freedom of religion is crucial to maintaining a private sphere for individuals and communities where the government does not—and cannot—intrude.  The state should be neutral and impartial when it comes to matters of deeply-held personal beliefs

Religious Freedom in Canada is an Essential Right.

The freedom to believe and practice as we choose is closely related to core values of liberty and autonomy. Religious freedom in Canada means that there are no state-sponsored religions and that the government cannot prefer some religious beliefs or groups over others.

Similarly, religious belief cannot be preferred to non-belief.  We strive to ensure that any restrictions on freedom of religion are necessary and minimally intrusive and that our public institutions treat all individuals equally, regardless of religious affiliation.

2019 Ontario Court of Appeal Win.

Vulnerable patients, such as folk looking to get an abortion or help with assisted dying kept facing the same problem in Ontario. A doctor who religiously or morally opposed the procedure would refuse to treat the patient or refuse to give them an effective referral.

In May 2019, we went to Court to argue that physicians should be responsible for ensuring that patients receive effective referrals and the Court agreed. Failure to provide an effective referral would shame and stigmatize patients seeking a public service and would risk denying health care to vulnerable persons. “An effective referral is defined as a ‘referral made in good faith, to a non-objecting, available and accessible physician, other health-care professional, or agency,’” said the ruling.

 

While freedoms and rights often conflict, it is important to strike a balance.
Our Recent Cases and Reports

View our latest work and activity.

Bill 21

Bill 21 is a law which disproportionately impacts people who are already marginalized. New Quebec laws ban Canadians working as teachers, lawyers, police officers, and more from wearing religious symbols such as crosses, hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes. This not only affects people currently working in the public sector, but also the youth who aspire to those careers.
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Bill 21

Bill 21 is a law which disproportionately impacts people who are already marginalized. New Quebec laws ban Canadians working as teachers, lawyers, police officers, and more from wearing religious symbols such as crosses, hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes. This not only affects people currently working in the public sector, but also the youth who aspire to those careers.

Our Work Protecting Religious Freedoms

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CCLA Reacts to Bill 21

February 29, 2024
MONTREAL — Today the Court of Appeal has issued a disappointing decision rejecting the constitutional challenge…

NCCM and CCLA Statement on Quebec Superior Court Decision on Prayer Ban

June 14, 2023
MONTREAL — This morning, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Canadian Civil Liberties…

NCCM and CCLA Litigating Prayer Ban

June 13, 2023
MONTREAL — The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and…

NCCM AND CCLA LAUNCH JOINT CHALLENGE TO QUEBEC GOVERNMENT’S BAN ON PRAYERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

May 26, 2023
(Montreal, Quebec)—The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and…

CCLA Reacts to Quebec Directive on Prayer Spaces in Public Schools

April 24, 2023
TORONTO — Harini Sivalingam, Lawyer and Director of the Equality Program at the Canadian Civil…

CCLA & NCCM file factum against Bill 21 in Quebec Court of Appeal

December 9, 2021
CCLA filed legal submissions against Bill 21 in the Quebec Court of Appeal. In this…

CCLA Remarks on Bill 21 Judgment by the Quebec Superior Court

April 20, 2021
Today is judgment day on Bill 21. A complex decision was handed down by the…

Whose Religious Symbols Can Shine???

December 21, 2020
In this season of darkness, the festivals of light bringing warmth and cheer may be…

CCLA Writes to BC Provincial Health Officer Regarding Religious Services

December 17, 2020
We are writing on behalf of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and the…

2020 Quebec Superior Court

December 20, 2019
Suspending Bill 21 is an urgent matter. We were before the Quebec Court of Appeal…

Seeking to Appeal Interim Decision on Bill 21

July 23, 2019
CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUPS SEEK LEAVE TO APPEAL BILL 21 DECISION NCCM & CCLA file an…

Fighting Quebec’s Religious Symbol’s Ban – As it Unfolds

June 19, 2019
CCLA is currently challenging the discriminatory religious symbols ban, Bill 21 in Quebec alongside the…

CCLA In Court: Freedom of Religion

June 17, 2019
Bill 21 Constitutional Challenge and Application for Suspension of The Law

CCLA and NCCM’s Application Regarding Quebec’s Religious Symbols Ban

June 17, 2019
Bill 21, An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State, passed in the Quebec National…

An Even Bigger Victory for Equality, Abortion, and the Rights of Vulnerable Patients

May 15, 2019
The Court of Appeal for Ontario has ruled in favour of vulnerable patients and their…

Access to Abortion, Dying with Dignity, and More Upheld by Ontario Court of Appeal

May 15, 2019
Doctors in Ontario will not be required to personally perform abortions, medical assistance in dying,…

CCLA & NCCM Successfully Obtain Renewed Stay Against Quebec’s Bill 62

June 29, 2018
The CCLA and the NCCM, two prominent civil liberties & advocacy organizations, have successfully obtained…

LGBTQ+ and Gender Equality Triumph: TWU v LSUC

June 15, 2018
LGBTQ+ and gender equality prevailed today, consistent with CCLA’s position, before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Bill 62 (Niqab Ban) Guidelines Cannot Save An Unconstitutional…

May 11, 2018
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) will challenge the Government of Nova Scotia’s exceptionally broad injunction limiting…

CCLA at Supreme Court in Trinity Western Case – Hearing This Week

November 29, 2017
TORONTO, Ont. – This week- on November 30th and December 1st – the Canadian Civil…

CCLA and NCCM Launch Legal Challenge Against Quebec’s Bill 62

November 7, 2017
(Montreal – November 7, 2017) – The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and the National…

CCLA in The Supreme Court: Freedom of Religion

November 3, 2017
Bill 62 Application for Judicial Review (Declaration of Invalidity) and Application for an Interim Stay

Quebec Bill 62 Infringes on Freedom of Religion and Equality

October 17, 2017
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) will challenge the Government of Nova Scotia’s exceptionally broad injunction limiting…

How Religious Teachings in Public Schools Violates Human Rights: Joint Presentation Before Argentina’s Supreme Court

August 30, 2017
On Wednesday, August 30, the Argentine Supreme Court held a public hearing on the constitutionality…