Canadian Civil Liberties Association

CCLA and Other Civil Society Groups Call on Ontario Government to Return to Democratic Governance of School Boards - CCLA Those affected by Bill 9 will have to choose between their faith and their profession or their studies – a dilemma that has no place in a democracy.

CCLA sent a letter to the Ontario Attorney General raising concerns about democratic accountability amid the growing number of locally elected school boards being placed under ministerial supervision.

You can learn more and read the letter here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA Calls on Senate to Scrutinize Bill C-14 on Bail Reform - CCLA Those affected by Bill 9 will have to choose between their faith and their profession or their studies – a dilemma that has no place in a democracy.

The Senate of Canada will consider Bill C-14, sweeping criminal justice legislation on bail and sentencing, this week. CCLA is calling for them to scrutinize it.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

Supreme Court Affirms Substantive and Intersectional Equality in Kanyinda Decision - CCLA Those affected by Bill 9 will have to choose between their faith and their profession or their studies – a dilemma that has no place in a democracy.

CCLA welcomes the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Kanyinda v. Quebec (Attorney General), finding that Quebec’s exclusion of refugee claimants from subsidized daycare had a disproportionate adverse impact on women.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

Dans cette deuxième vidéo de notre série sur le projet de loi 21, nous nous concentrons sur la manière dont la version déformée de la laïcité promue dans le projet de loi 21 est incompatible avec les valeurs sociétales du Québec.

Is Bill 21 Really About Secularism? Effects / La loi 21 est-elle vraiment sur la laïcité? Effets YouTube video by Canadian Civil Liberties Association

In two weeks Bill 21 will be before the Supreme Court of Canada.

In this second video in our Bill 21 series, we focus on how the distorted version of secularism promoted in Bill 21 is incompatible with Quebec societal values.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ehm...

Registration form for JHS Week Virtual Conference 2026 John Howard Society week runs from March 3 to March 6, 2026. Each day the session will begin at 1 pm Eastern Time. The link to join the session will be sent prior to the event and after receiving your...

CCLA's Director of the Criminal Justice Program, Shakir Rahim, will join other experts tomorrow at 1 PM ET for a virtual webinar hosted by the John Howard Society on Bill C-14, the forthcoming federal bail and sentencing legislation.

Register here:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Dans seulement 21 jours, la Loi 21 du Québec sera examinée par la Cour suprême du Canada. Dans cette première vidéo de notre série, nous discutons du dangereux message d'exclusion envoyé par la Loi 21 et de pourquoi nous la contestons devant le plus haut tribunal du pays.

What is Bill 21 and Why Challenge It? / Qu’est-ce que la Loi 21 et pourquoi la contester ? YouTube video by Canadian Civil Liberties Association

In just 21 days, Quebec’s Bill 21 will be before the Supreme Court of Canada. In this first video of our series, we explain how Bill 21 sends a dangerous message of exclusion and why we are challenging it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NtR...

CCLA Opposes Expansion of Arrest Powers to Transit Special Constables Under Public Substance Use Law - CCLA Those affected by Bill 9 will have to choose between their faith and their profession or their studies – a dilemma that has no place in a democracy.

CCLA is opposing a proposal to give transit special constables in Ontario new arrest and detention powers, a move that risks criminalizing poverty and undermining Charter rights.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA Co-Leads Call to Withdraw Anti-Democratic Exemption Powers from Bill C-15 - CCLA The unprecedented exemption powers provided for in Bill C-15 set Canada on a dangerous anti-democratic track.

CCLA, Ecojustice, and the Quebec Center for Environmental Law, joined by more than 100 legal and civil society leaders, are warning that Bill C-15 would give federal ministers sweeping powers to exempt anyone from federal laws and regulations.

Read more here.
ccla.org/fundamental-...

CCLA Condemns Ontario’s Growing Takeover of Local School Boards - CCLA Those affected by Bill 9 will have to choose between their faith and their profession or their studies – a dilemma that has no place in a democracy.

CCLA and fellow advocates are deeply concerned by the Ontario government’s anti-democratic takeover of locally elected school boards.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA Before Supreme Court to Protect the Principle Against Self-Incrimination - CCLA Those affected by Bill 9 will have to choose between their faith and their profession or their studies – a dilemma that has no place in a democracy.

CCLA will appear today as an intervener before the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Korduner. This case is about the scope of the principle against self-incrimination, which is a principle of fundamental justice under s. 7 of the Charter.

ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA Proud to Have Advanced Mobility Rights and Government Accountability at Supreme Court of Canada - CCLA Those affected by Bill 9 will have to choose between their faith and their profession or their studies – a dilemma that has no place in a democracy.

CCLA is proud to have defended mobility rights and demanded government accountability at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

Our statement on the Tumbler Ridge tragedy.

Civil Liberties Organizations Raise Concerns Over Alberta Funding Decision - CCLA

BCCLA, CCLA, and the Ligue des droits et libertés have written a letter asking the Alberta Minister of Justice to reconsider the decision to deny funding to the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre (ACLRC).

Read more here.
ccla.org/fundamental-...

Ending Special Envoy Roles Risks Abandoning Communities Facing Rising Hate - CCLA

CCLA is concerned by the federal government’s announcement that it is ending the mandates of the Special Envoys on Islamophobia and Antisemitism.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

The director of our Fundamental Freedoms program, Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, appeared before a parliamentary committee yesterday to sound the alarm about Quebec's Bill 1.

La directrice de notre programme de Libertés fondamentales Anaïs Bussières McNicoll était en commission parlementaire hier pour sonner l'alarme au sujet du Projet de loi 1 du Québec.

Visionnez le témoignage ici: m.assnat.qc.ca/fr/video-aud...

CCLA remains committed to confronting anti-Black racism wherever it appears and to defending the rights, dignity, and safety of Black people in Canada inside and outside our courts.

More recently, reports of anti-Black racism and the alleged use of force against a Black lawyer inside the Oshawa courthouse are a stark reminder that these issues are not abstract or historical; they are happening now, in spaces meant to uphold justice.

Last month, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association was at the Supreme Court of Canada challenging racial profiling, affirming that racial profiling has no place in our society and that laws that enable discriminatory policing and surveillance of Black motorists are unconstitutional.

February is Black History Month, a time to honour the histories, contributions, and ongoing struggles of Black communities in Canada.

CCLA Calls for Independent Investigation into Reported Police Use of Force Against Lawyer Sudine Riley - CCLA

CCLA is alarmed by the reported use of serious force by Durham Regional Police Service officers against defence lawyer Sudine Riley at the Oshawa Courthouse on January 23, 2026.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA Joins a Broad Coalition of Civil Society Groups Objecting to Anti-Democratic Provisions in Bill C-15 - CCLA

The law should apply equally to everyone, regardless of their wealth, power and status.

On January 21, 2026, the CCLA joined more than 40 organizations in denouncing certain provisions in Bill C-15.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

Emergencies Act Case: CCLA Claims Historic Victory at the Federal Court of Appeal - CCLA

The Federal Court of Appeal has delivered a historic victory for the rule of law by ruling in favour of CCLA in the landmark Emergencies Act case. The Court confirmed today that the Act's stringent legal thresholds were not met in February 2022.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

Canadian Civil Liberties Association Holds a News Conference The Canadian Civil Liberties Association holds a virtual news conference to comment on the Federal Court of Appeal decision on the federal government invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to t...

Watch CCLA’s press conference on the Emergencies Act decision live on CPAC using the link below.
www.cpac.ca/headline-pol...

Join us at 8 AM EST on January 22nd for this important discussion!

Click the link below to register.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

CCLA at the Supreme Court of Canada to Protect People’s Constitutional Right to Reasonable Administrative Decisions - CCLA

CCLA is at the Supreme Court of Canada this morning to present its oral submissions in the Democracy Watch v Attorney General of Canada case.

You can read more about this case here.
ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA Appearing Before Supreme Court to Protect Right to be Sentenced Within A Reasonable Time - CCLA

On Friday, the CCLA will appear before the Supreme Court as an intervenor in R. v. R.B.-C to uphold the right to be sentenced in a reasonable time.

Read more about this case here: ccla.org/criminal-jus...

CCLA Intervening to Defend Rights of Unhoused People in Landmark Ontario Appeal - CCLA

Being unhoused does not mean the forfeiture of human rights.

CCLA is intervening in a landmark Ontario appeal to defend the rights of unhoused people.

Read more here.
ccla.org/press-releas...