Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. Prostitution has long been the subject of varying moral perspectives and legal approaches. These divisions often reflect different ideas about how vulnerable people can best be protected from exploitation and violence. International law relating to prostitution is mainly… Read More ›
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Freedom of Expression: Recent Jurisprudence
Reading Time: 6 minutes Disponible en français. “Everyone has the … freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” – Section (2b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Freedom of Expression and the… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Official Languages and Parliament
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. In the Canadian parliamentary context, English and French enjoy equality of status and use. In fact, there are a number of constitutional and legislative provisions governing the use of both official languages in Parliament. These provisions, which have evolved over the… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: The Development of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Approach to Equality Rights Under the Charter
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms sets out the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. The Supreme Court of Canada (the Court) has consistently interpreted this right as protecting substantive equality. This means that laws – as well as government activities and policies – must not simply treat people the same. Instead, the effect that a law has on different… Read More ›
The Emergencies Act: Parliament’s Role During a National Emergency
Reading Time: 5 minutes Revised on 23 February 2022, 8:40 a.m. Disponible en français. On 14 February 2022, in response to the ongoing blockades and protests taking place in Ottawa and at some border crossings, the Prime Minister announced that the Governor in Council… Read More ›
Judicial Independence of Military Judges
Reading Time: 5 minutes Disponible en français. In 2020, military judges were forced to direct a stay of proceedings of four courts martial (Edwards, Crépeau [in French], Fontaine [in French], and Iredale) after determining that an order issued by the then-Chief of the Defence… Read More ›
Ensuring access to quality education for students enrolled in minority language schools
Reading Time: 5 minutes (Disponible en français : Assurer l’accès à une éducation de qualité aux élèves inscrits dans les écoles de la minorité) The constitutional right to an education in one’s own language Under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and… Read More ›
Employment Equity in Canada’s Federal Public Service
Reading Time: 5 minutes (Disponible en français : L’équité en matière d’emploi dans la fonction publique fédérale du Canada) Employment Equity: The Legal Framework The federal public service strives to achieve employment equity in its workforce; that is, it aims to correct disadvantages that… Read More ›
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Reading Time: 5 minutes 2 July 2020, 11:45 a.m. (Disponible en français : La pandémie de COVID-19 et les droits des personnes handicapées) The COVID-19 pandemic presents multiple risks to the rights and wellbeing of persons with disabilities. Approximately 6.2 million Canadians over the… Read More ›
The Right to Be Left Alone and Police Powers in Canada: Is an Update Needed?
Reading Time: 2 minutes (Disponible en français : Le droit de ne pas être importuné et les pouvoirs policiers au Canada : une mise à jour s’impose‑t‑elle?) One of the pillars of the law is predictability. Yet decisions of Canada’s highest court on the… Read More ›