In Focus

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Program Areas Education

Fundamental Freedoms

Public Safety

National Security

Equality

About us

Since 1964, CCLA has passionately defended the fundamental human rights and civil liberties of all Canadians through:
  • Public Education
  • Litigation
  • Citizen’s Engagement
  • Monitoring and Research
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Raising the Civil Liberties Bar -- January 12, 2012 Featuring:
  • Andrew Lokan (Paliare Roland LLP) who recently represented the CCLA at the Supreme Court of Canada in Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission v. William Whatcott, et al., will be giving a talk on his experience doing pro-bono and public interest work as part of his wider portfolio.
  • Marc Laverdiere will introduce elements of scotch nosing and allow like-minded students, young lawyers, and practitioners to mingle.Featured scotches include: The Macallan 12, The Macallan 15, The Macallan Cask Strength, Highland Park 18, Laphroaig 1/4 Cask
Sponsored by Paliare Roland LLP Read more...

Education

Since the early 1990s, the Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust has developed a unique approach to teaching civil liberties in the classroom. The organization provides free workshops and seminars in schools and educational institutions to teach citizens about social justice, their rights and freedoms. Read more...

Fundamental Freedoms

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects those freedoms that are considered fundamental in a democratic society. These freedoms include:
  • Freedom of Expression
  • Freedom of Association
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Freedom of Information
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Public Safety

The CCLA monitors the legal and policy frameworks that govern policing and the administration of justice in Canada to ensure that they are sufficiently respectful of civil liberties and Charter rights. This program includes:
  • Police Powers
  • Police Accountability
  • Privacy and Policing
  • Liberty and Due-Process
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National Security

Through litigation and advocacy, CCLA works for accountability and compliance with Canada"s legal obligations. The key issues are:
  • Privacy & National Security
  • Fair Trial & Due Process
  • Absolute Prohibition Against Torture
  • Security Certificates
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Equality

The equality program concerns all forms of discrimination, and seeks to promote fairness and equality in Canada. The following groups fall within the CCLA program:
  • Disability
  • Gender
  • Immigration
  • LGBT
  • Race / Ethnicity / Religion
  • Socioeconomic Status
  • Youth
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Canada - U.S. Security Perimeter

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(Un)Lawful Access: Stop Online Spying

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Act for Freedom Too

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Recent Work

Recent Posts

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RSS Rights Watch

  • Alberta’s New Privacy Commissioner Sworn in February 1, 2012 February 2, 2012
    Jill Clayton was sworn in as privacy commissioner at the Alberta Legislature on Wednesday, replacing Frank Work, who stepped down in December.  She returns to Alberta from her previous post with the Privacy and Freedom of Information Department for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.  Clayton is expecting many challenges considering the changing l […]
  • Constitutional Reform: Is Canada’s constitution outdated? February 1, 2012
    Amendments to the constitution are not easy. In fact, procedure for amendments to the constitution vary depend on the nature of the change and the matter in question. Procedures are lengthy and complicated, and the threshold for assent is generally fairly high (majority assent is required). For some, the complexity and detailed requirements for constitutiona […]
  • City of Vancouver Being Sued Over Use of Police Dogs February 1, 2012
    Pivot Legal Society, on behalf of client Christopher Evans, filed a lawsuit against the City of Vancouver on Thursday, January 26th 2012, for alleged careless and excessive use of a police dog. During the incident in question, which occurred last summer, Mr. Evans was bitten on his right calf and thigh during an arrest, and […]
  • New legislation that will impact online privacy to be introduced January 31, 2012
    John Ibbitson of the Globe and Mail reports here that privacy commissioners are concerned about “lawful access” legislation that the Conservatives are going to introduce in Parliament. It would allow police to access information from someone’s Internet service provider such as his or her cell phone number, IP address, and email address without a warrant. [.. […]
  • Fredericton Blogger Arrested January 31, 2012
    Police in Fredericton, New Brunswick are investigating a resident who is accused of defamatory libel due to comments found on his blog. According to University of New Brunswick associate law professor Julia Hughes, defamatory libel as a criminal (rather than civil) offence is something very rare in Canada. The blogger’s apartment was searched and his […]

Features

Icon of information logo - capital i Key Reports

Demand a public inquiry now! “It is imperative that there be a full public inquiry into what happened during the G20 in order to get at the truth and ensure it doesn’t happen again. The maintenance of public confidence in law enforcement demands nothing less.” The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Union of Public and General Employees are pleased to present [...]

Op-Ed

Human Rights Day 2011

This speech was delivered by CCLA General Counsel Nathalie Des Rosiers on Saturday, December 10, on the International Human Rights Day event hosted by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) Canadian Ethnocultural Council (CEC) with the participation of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA)

“Human Rights Day began in 1950 to commemorate the Universal Declaration of [...]

Multimedia

Audio Audio

Discussion: CBSA’s “Most Wanted List”

A conversation about a Canadian government fugitive list put out by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The list includes some of the people the agency wants to deport from Canada for allegedly being war criminals, or for a number of other alleged offences. MASALA CANADA, a Radio Canada International program hosted by
Wojtek Gwiazda, discusses the [...]

Icon of camera Video

Nathalie Des Rosiers Speaks About Lawful Access (video)

Watch Nathalie Des Rosiers, CCLA General Counsel, speak about concerns regarding lawful access legislation, as part of a project is a response to the serious threats to privacy, free speech and civil liberties raised by proposed lawful access legislation. To understand what is at stake in this invasive and costly bill, the (un)lawful access project [...]