Explore current civil liberties issues arising in the news, before the courts, in government and in the streets.
This page includes two great sources to learn more about current issues relating to civil liberties in Canada.
First, CCLA is now excited to include in-depth breakdowns of new bills and legislation and other new material produced by volunteers, under the heading “Current Issues”.
This space is also the new home of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s longstanding rights and freedoms monitoring blog, RightsWatch. RightsWatch is a joint project of CCLA and Pro Bono Students Canada. Updated and maintained by law students across the country, it compiles local and national news and events regarding basic rights and freedoms in Canada.
The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent CCLA or Pro Bono Students Canada’s policies or positions. For official publications, key reports, position papers, legal documentation, and up-to-date news about CCLA’s work check out the In Focus section of our website.
Current Issues
Medical Assistance in Dying (former Bill C-14)
Much has changed since the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Carter v Canada. In this ruling, the court decided that the prohibition on physician assisted dying was unconstitutional and that assisted dying was a right to adults suffering from “grievous and irremediable” medical illnesses.[1] In response, parliament drafted and ratified Bill C-14, Medical Assistance in Dying.
R. v. Spencer: Keeping Your Digital Identity Private
Would you want the government to know every webpage you’ve seen? Every Google search you’ve run? Every social media post you’ve clicked? Every file, photo, or video you’ve downloaded? If not, you can thank R. v. Spencer, 2014 SCC 43, 2 SCR 212
Bill 87: Protecting Patients Act, 2017
The government of Ontario is currently considering Bill 87: An Act to Implement Health Measures and Measures Relating to Seniors by Enacting, Amending or Repealing Various Statutes, which sounds like a series of pedantic bureaucratic changes irrelevant outside of the medical community. But behind that boring veneer is a threat to privacy worth taking seriously.