As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the entire world, many governments have passed legislation requiring that face masks be worn in many public locations. This has resulted in claims that the mask requirements violate civil liberties. At the same time, there have been some incidents of individuals being confronted for not wearing masks, yet […]

Recently, anti-racism has received extensive media coverage. Instead of addressing what can be done about it, there has been much discussion about whether racism—particularly systemic racism—exists in Canada, and apparent confusion about the meaning of important terms. For example, on June 9, 2020, CBC reported that Alberta Deputy RCMP Commissioner Curtis Zablocki denied there was […]

Generally, when talking about the situation in Canada, the emphasis is on the prevalence of systemic discrimination —policies or practices that are part of an organization, which perpetuate disadvantage. This is pervasive in Canada and difficult to address because it is reinforced by acceptance as the “normal” way of doing things. However, while complex systemic […]

Mahatma Ghandi once said: “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” Canada has used solitary confinement for prisoners for decades. In the past several years, solitary confinement has been the subject of criticism from civil libertarians and mental health advocates. Usually, solitary confinement involves isolating inmates in a small cell […]

In Carter v Canada (Attorney General), the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruled that Criminal Code sections 241 and 14 deprived adults of their right to life, liberty and security of the person under s. 7 of the Charter. Sections 241 and 14 prohibited physician-assisted dying for competent adults who sought such assistance as a […]