Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Read the report and CCLA's recommendations here: https://ccla.org/ccla-to-toronto-detask-police/

Women’s bodies do not need to be regulated, by the Province of New Brunswick, or anyone else. Women’s choices about their bodies do not need to be regulated. It is the regulation of women, girls and trans individuals - through New Brunswich Regulation 84-20 - that is the problem. So we went to court today to stop them. https://mailchi.mp//press-release-communique-abortion-laws

Our Justice Vs. The G20 episode is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher and iHeartRadio Canada! In this episode, CCLA's Director of Development & Communications chats with both an activist that was arrested at the G20 protest in Toronto and a constitutional lawyer who is skilled at analyzing difficult cases and strategizing about how best to protect fundamental freedoms. The episode covers Luke's experience at the protest, his arrest, and... the decade long court case that followed. To learn more about Justice Vs., visit ccla.org/justice-vs/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0JcQPbtq3HzY9z9aA477Mh Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com//justice-vs-the-g/id1535854457 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com//aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com//justice-vs-the-g20-the-legacy-th iHeartRadio Canada: https://www.iheart.com//justice-vs-the-g20-the-legacy-738/

SHARE WIDELY! Sign our petition for abortion access in New Brunswick. Women’s bodies do not need to be regulated! Sign here: https://ccla.org/abortionpetition/

Stand up to power with Canada's defender of human rights and freedoms. Donate now at: https://ccla.org/give/

B.C. Travel Restrictions Unconstitutional, No New Fines Needed Read the full joint release from CCLA and BCCLA here: https://ccla.org/bc-travel-restrictions/

On our next episode of Justice Vs., we chat to two guests about solitary confinement, why it happens, and its detriments. Subscribe on your favourite platform and stay tuned. We’ve already released two episodes! On Justice Vs., we discuss issues around crime and punishment and the most pressing human rights abuses and threats to democratic freedoms in Canada. Hosted by Maria Rio, CCLA's Director of Development and Communications and featuring activists and lawyers from across... the country, we hope to make topics of justice and rights more accessible to the public. Listen to the episodes we already released and check out the video-trailer to Episode 3. Learn more: https://ccla.org/justice-vs/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5577R3FH8xiTRAPJ23Ilkx Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../justice-vs/id1535854457 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/.../aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c... Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/last-8-morning/justice-vs Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cancivlib https://ccla.org//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Solitary-Conf

Women’s bodies do not need to be regulated. Women’s choices about their bodies do not need to be regulated. It is the regulation of women, girls and trans individuals - through Regulation 84-20 - that is the problem. Unfortunately, the government of New Brunswick has been fighting against the equality and reproductive freedom of women, girls and trans people for decades. Countless individuals and groups have been fighting back. Just this fall, the Canadian Civil Liberties A...ssociation wrote to the Premier, the Health Minister and the Attorney General demanding they repeal the provision in Regulation 84-20 that restricts coverage for abortion performed outside of hospitals. As it stands now, under this Regulation, abortions are only covered in 2 cities in the province, so that 90% of women do not have access to abortion in their community. This is particularly troubling during a pandemic when travel outside one’s community is dangerous or even impossible. This restriction on abortion access is even more harmful to those who are marginalized, who cannot find or afford a private alternative, or who cannot travel to get an abortion due to work, financial resources, childcare needs, or domestic violence. By restricting abortion access in this way, New Brunswick is violating women’s, girls’ and trans individuals’ fundamental right to make their own choices, to privacy, to safety, and of course, the right to equality. Today - we are marking the beginning of the end. CCLA is launching a legal challenge against Regulation 84-20. Read more here: https://ccla.org/reproductive-justice/

Toussaint v. Attorney General of Canada (2011) Nell Toussaint legally arrived in Canada in 1999. Originally from Grenada, she lived and worked in Canada as a migrant until 2006. Although she arrived legally, her status eventually expired and she was considered to be here illegally, even though she was in the process of applying to become a temporary or permanent resident. During the process of applying to become a permanent or temporary resident on humanitarian grounds she fe...ll gravely ill with nephrotic syndrome, a dangerous kidney condition, and diabetes. In 2008, she applied to the Interim Federal Health Program but was denied because of her illegal immigration status. Nell was in and out of the hospital for over a decade and had to pay for her treatment out of pocket because of the program’s denial. She could not work due to her poor health and soon, she could not keep up with her medical bills. Health care is a human right; there are no exceptions. Nell decided to challenge the federal government’s decision as a violation of her rights to life and security of person, and equality. CCLA supported Nell in her fight for health care at the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, but both dismissed her case. With CCLA’s help, Nell appealed to the Supreme Court, but the Court refused to hear her. CCLA did not give up. Along with other organizations like the Social Rights Advocacy Centre, CCLA guided Nell to file a petition to the United Nations Human Rights Committee to defend her rights to life and non-discrimination under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In July 2018, the United Nations Human Rights committee agreed that the Government of Canada had violated Nell’s rights by denying her access to essential health care. It is because of organizations like CCLA and our dedicated supporters that our Canadian values have evolved to what they are today. We are kind, we are strong, and we are free. To learn about and support our current work, visit ccla.org. #TBT

Read about our fight here: https://ccla.org/reproductive-justice/

To find out more about what CCLA is doing to protect those experiencing homelessness in Toronto this winter and during the pandemic, visit: https://ccla.org/toronto-must-defend-homeless/ To make a donation visit: https://ccla.org/give/

R v. Swain: The right of the accused with mental disabilities in criminal trial In 1983, Owen Swain attacked his wife and two children, believing he had to protect them from devils. He was arrested and charged with assault and aggravated assault. The judge declared Owen had suffered from a severe psychotic episode. Owen was transferred from jail to a mental health centre. He saw a psychiatrist and took prescribed antipsychotic medications, and his condition improved. About tw...o months after the bizarre attack, Owen was released into the community on the condition that he continued to see a psychiatrist. At his trial, Owen was found not guilty on the reason of insanity, even though he and his lawyer had not raised questions about his mental capacity in court. While being found not guilty would normally be a good thing, under the Criminal Code, the decision would have led to him being detained in a mental health facility indefinitely. Owen was seen as dangerous because of his mental health. Owen’s lawyer fought this rule. It was not fair to raise the issue of insanity if the defendant did not bring it up, and automatic detention deprived people of their freedom, which went against the Charter. The judge maintained his decision. Owen was put under detention. CCLA intervened in this important case when it got to the Court of Appeal. Canadians with mental health conditions deserve their freedom as much as everyone else. Although the case was dismissed, the fight continued to the Supreme Court, where the Court ruled that automatic detention for reason of insanity violated the Charter. Because of this case, the Criminal Code was modernized to redefine insanity to better reflect present attitudes. It is because of organizations like CCLA and our dedicated supporters that our Canadian values have evolved to what they are today. We are kind, we are strong, and we are free. To learn about and support our current work, visit ccla.org.

The 24th Annual Borovoy Conference was a huge success! Named after the CCLA’s longest-running Executive Director and General Counsel Alan Borovoy, the Borovoy conference is run by CCLA’s education arm, the Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust. We engage high-school students across Ontario in workshops discussing our Charter rights and freedoms, democracy, and topics decided in partnership with local school boards. Despite the challenge of moving to an online format, CCLET successfully delivered a moving week-long conference to hundreds of Toronto and Durham District School Board students. We would like to thank The Law Foundation of Ontario for the generous funding they provide to make the Borovoy Conference possible, as well as our other Ontario educational programming.

TO: Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, The Honourable Patty Hajdu, The Honourable David Lametti FROM: CCLA Dear Ministers, ... We are writing you about the bad idea floated from an Ontario executive podium respecting immunity passports, so called. On this matter, Canadians deserve a national approach, for countless reasons. We would boil down our civil liberties concerns to five. These concerns are unrelated to the individual choice to get vaccinated. We are anti-oppression, anti-discrimination, not anti-vaxers..... To read our full letter: https://ccla.org/ccla-to-trudeau-hajdu-lametti/

Attack of the Face Snatchers 2! Cadillac Fairview malls said they'd stop facial fingerprinting when they were caught in 2018, but the practice continues in secret. Nor will they agree to a privacy policy of 'no facial fingerprinting without consent.' The problem is with Canadian governments (other than Quebec) refusing to update their digital privacy laws to catch up to global standards. Cadillac Fairview can't steal your facial fingerprint in Europe, or California, but... they can in Canada, thanks to feds and most provinces being soft on digital privacy. That said, this company just plain fibbed about their intention to stop doing it in 2018. Turns out they scaled the practice across Canada!! Shoppers, beware!! Cadillac Fairview malls are coming for your face, your identity, your dignity, your privacy. So where a mask for COVID and wear a mask for privacy too. https://ccla.org/quick-win-privacy-rights-ccla-vs-cadillac/ https://www.cbc.ca//cadillac-fairview-5-million-images-1.5 See more

Join the discussion! Leading advocates for bail reform will speak to the impact of recent legal victories and how we can achieve durable cultural change. Free tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-future-of-bail-reform-ticke

CCLA is proud to launch our new podcast trailer, Justice Vs. ! Find out more about Justice Vs. by watching the trailer. Stay tuned for more information by following us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, and subscribing to our YouTube channel! Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com//podcast/justice-vs/id1535854457 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5577R3FH8xiTRAPJ23Ilkx ... Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/3132387 TuneIn: https://tunein.com//News--Politics-P/Justice-Vs-p1375373/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CanCivLib

The Prime Minister needs to be doing much more to protect the rights of Mi’kmaq fishers. In brief, CCLA asserts that the Crown has breached its fiduciary obligations to the Mi’kmaq (again). Crown mismanagement of its treaty obligations to Mi’kmaq people is well established. A pattern of bias and sometimes racism against Mi’kmaq people continues with any suggestion that this conflict is inexorable; that culpability arising from this conflict is shared by Mi’kmaq people; and that Crown-aboriginal reconciliation, when it comes to Atlantic fisheries, is about competing interests. In our view, it is just about racism and Crown fiduciary failures. Read our full letter to the Prime Minister here:

We won! The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Sanctuary Toronto, the City undertook obligations toward achieving certain goals relating to the safety and capacity of Toronto’s shelter system in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] The agreement provided that when those goals had been achieved, the City would assert compliance, and then after a further period of monitoring, the agreement would terminate. [3] The City asserted compliance on June 15, 2020.... [4] The key question on this motion is whether the City properly did so within the terms of the Interim Settlement Agreement. See more

Reverse the restrictions on abortions or we will go to court to force the issue, we told the Premier of New Brunswick today. Too many are without access to abortion in NB. This is a constitutional right, and we’re fighting for it. Stand with us at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association!

In 1977, the FDA issued a directive that banned women of child-bearing potential from participating in clinical trials. This measure was not repealed until 1993, but the harmful effects are still felt. Even into modern day, there are concerns that women are underrepresented in many areas of common healthcare, such as research into cardiovascular disease. Gender equality is a fundamental human right. This Sunday, October 11, we celebrate the talents, contributions, and achievements of women and girls around the world, while recognizing the fight towards true gender equality is far from over.

A study published in Women’s Health Issues in 2018 showed that women in an emergency situation due to chest pain received the recommended treatment less than men. These disparities require further attention, evaluation and research. Gender equality is a fundamental human right. This Sunday, October 11, we celebrate the talents, contributions, and achievements of women and girls around the world, while recognizing the fight towards true gender equality is far from over.

on peut s'attendre à ce que nous soyons plus actifs au Québec dans les jours et les mois à venir.

Congratulations to Justice Lori Anne Thomas for her appointment yesterday to the Ontario Court of Justice. This President at Canadian Association of Black Lawyers was one of five appointments announced yesterday by the Attorney General of Ontario. Her Honour will be sitting in Toronto. Our Executive Director Michael Bryant joined Justice Thomas on TVO The Agenda panel last month, speaking about defunding police.

A 2017 study, presented at a conference of the American Heart Association, found that women are less likely than men to receive CPR from a bystander and more likely to die. The findings suggested that CPR training needs to be improved including the idea that CPR training is subtly biased towards males because mannequins are typically male torsos. Gender equality is a fundamental human right. This Sunday, October 11, we celebrate the talents, contributions, and achievements of women and girls around the world, while recognizing the fight towards true gender equality is far from over.

A study published in the Journal of Sex Research found that around 0.5% of Canada’s population may be trans or as many as 175,000 people. For this and many other reasons, a Report by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport concluded, For Canadian sports organizations, it is not if, but when, you will be asked to help a trans participant navigate your sport. Gender equality is a fundamental human right. This Sunday, October 11, we celebrate the talents, contributions, and achievements of women and girls around the world, while recognizing the fight towards true gender equality is far from over.

Girls in Canada and around the world face a significant disparity in educational opportunity and treatment by the education system. Gender equality is a fundamental human right. This Sunday, October 11, we celebrate the talents, contributions, and achievements of women and girls around the world, while recognizing the fight towards true gender equality is far from over.