Alberta's International Agreements Act requires parts of international agreements to be passed into provincial law. This raises questions about how key human rights agreements apply in Alberta.In its first act of the 2025 fall legislative session, the Alberta government introduced Bill 1: The … [Read more...]
Caste system in Canada poses legal challenges but hope lies in strong human rights codes
Caste discrimination impacts the lives of many people in Canada, but human rights scholars and advocates are working to change that.Most Canadians might think of a caste system as something that happens somewhere far away, a brutal vestige of times past, and certainly unrelated to life in this … [Read more...]
The Alberta Legislature repeatedly uses the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to shield controversial laws from court challenges
Alberta's use of the notwithstanding clause in the proposed Protecting Alberta’s Children Statutes Amendment Act and other controversial laws might impact Albertans' Charter rights.EDITOR'S NOTE This article was published on November 24, 2025. The Alberta Legislature passed Bill 9, the … [Read more...]
Canada’s Legal Leaders in Human Rights Continue the Fight for Fairness
The recent passing of Canadian human rights lawyer Susan Eng provides an opportunity to reflect on the status of human rights in Canada as well as the work of Eng and other human rights lawyers fighting for fairness.Many people may think of human rights as being shaped by David-versus-Goliath … [Read more...]
Significant Compensation for Workplace Sexual Harassment: Employers should take note
Sexual harassment at work is a form of discrimination under human rights laws, and recent significant awards from the Alberta Human Rights Commission should encourage employers to address this behaviour in the workplace.The Alberta Human Rights Act (the Act) protects Albertans from … [Read more...]
Privacy and Medical Information in the Workplace
How can we balance an employer's right to know about illness or disability and an employee's right to privacy?EDITOR'S NOTE A version of this article first appeared in LawNow in 2019. It has been reviewed for legal accuracy in 2024 by the author.Requesting medical information from … [Read more...]
Why is Canada a Bilingual Country?
Canada has two official languages: French and English. We always wonder why.EDITOR'S NOTE A version of this article first appeared in LawNow in 2019. It has been reviewed for legal accuracy in 2024 by the author.Canada’s two colonizing peoples are the French and the British. They … [Read more...]
Edmonton’s Encampment Case: What does it mean for future cases?
The Coalition for Justice and Human Rights' August 2023 constitutional challenge to the City of Edmonton’s encampment removals did not succeed, but this case wasn't the first of its kind and likely won't be the last.As housing in Canada and Alberta becomes increasingly expensive, many people … [Read more...]
Ontario’s Fair Accommodation Practices Act: 70 years later and human rights legislation continues to evolve
1954 saw the passing of Ontario's Fair Accommodation Practices Act and, since then, human rights legislation has evolved across Canada, including with the passing of human rights codes and the Canadian Charter.To a passing tourist in the early 1950s, the town of Dresden might seem like the … [Read more...]
The Iraq War 20 Years Later: Those who spoke out and those who didn’t
With 20 years having passed since the start of the Iraq War, it is fascinating to look back at who spoke out against the war and who didn’t, including most surprisingly, left-wing journalist Christopher Hitchens.This year marks 20 years since the start of the Iraq War. Reading some … [Read more...]
