Some employers and businesses may require vaccines for employers and customers.The federal and provincial governments in Canada have decided not to mandate COVID-19 vaccines. This decision comes despite high rates of vaccine hesitancy and even though the majority of people need to be vaccinated to … [Read more...]
Transgender Inmates in Canada
How do federal, provincial and territorial laws or policies protect transgender inmates?Individuals may identify with a gender that goes along with their sex given at birth, they may identify with a gender that is different from their sex given at birth, or they may identify with a non-traditional … [Read more...]
Good Behaviour and Tenure of Supreme Court Justices in Canada and the United States
The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in September 2020 at the age of 87, and the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States, where she can serve for decades, prompted me to write this article.The Supreme Courts of Canada and the U.S. are the courts … [Read more...]
Freedom of Movement during COVID-19
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 – an infectious disease caused by a new coronavirus – a global pandemic. With no vaccines or treatments to control the disease, the WHO asked governments “to take urgent and aggressive action to stop the spread of the … [Read more...]
The Right to Housing as a Human Right
International human rights law acknowledges everyone’s right to an adequate standard of living, which includes the right to adequate housing.Many international legal instruments protect the right to adequate housing, including:the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25); the … [Read more...]
Do Books Relieve Children’s Pain During Divorce?
Families are no longer as secure as they used to be. The process of divorce and separation can deeply affect children, as can exposure to new types of family structures. Children may feel stressed, frustrated and confused.When parents separate or divorce, children may:have difficulties … [Read more...]
Do Natural Objects Have Legal Rights?
In 1972, Christopher D. Stone wrote an article entitled “Should Trees Have Standing? - Towards Legal Rights for Natural Objects”. This article is still, even today, mentioned every time there is a discussion on legal rights and natural objects.In his article, Stone suggested that we give legal … [Read more...]
The Impact of Brexit on the Free Movement of Persons
Citizens of the European Union (EU) are allowed to live and work, without special formalities, in the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA includes the EU’s 28 Member States as well as Switzerland and three non-EU countries - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. This is what we call “free movement of … [Read more...]
When Can the Right to Freedom of Expression be Curtailed?
Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects our freedom of expression, but this freedom is not absolute.The right to express our opinions is a crucial element of a democracy. Freedom of expression is a basic characteristic of personal development. It gives us the right to … [Read more...]
Disabilities and Addiction in the Workplace
Employee alcohol and drug addictions in the workplace can be very difficult issues for employers to manage. Addiction is recognized as a mental disability, which means that employers cannot automatically terminate employees because of their addiction. On the contrary, employers are required to … [Read more...]
