Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Today, CCLA will be speaking on a Panel on Bill C-34. It’s part of broader conferences on the Safe Social Media Act hosted by National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and @openmedia.org at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. More details here: nccm.ca/event/online...

The Canadian Senate has a chance to stop the dangerous surveillance powers inherent in Bill C-22.

The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear the federal government’s appeal in the Emergencies Act case. We are now gearing up to defend our historic victory for the rule of law. Read our press release here: ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA has written to the Ministers of Industry and Health urging the federal government to reject the House of Commons Science and Research Committee’s recommendations to EDI from the criteria used by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. EDI and research excellence are not competing goals.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) is sounding the alarm on the proposed government surveillance law – Bill C-22. If passed, Bill C-22 would put everyone's privacy and digital security at risk. Read our full alert and sign our petition below: ccla.org/take-action/...

Meet the speakers for Show Up, Ontario: A Rally for Our Democracy. Join us Thursday, November 5, from 12 to 1 PM at Queen’s Park. This event is free and open to everyone. Registration is optional and can be found here: lnkd.in/ghMHdbd5

Show up with us Thursday, November 5th, from 12 to 1 PM, at Queen's Park to challenge democratic erosion in Ontario. This event is free and open to everyone. Our optional registration link can be found here: action.ccla.org/page/201632/...

CCLA welcomes the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision allowing the appeal of unhoused residents of a Hamilton encampment who are challenging the City's enforcement of bylaws that led to their eviction. The CCLA intervened to support the rights of unhoused encampment residents.

The CCLA will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada today as an intervener in Diggs v. AG (Nova Scotia). You can read the CCLA’s factum here: www.scc-csc.ca/pdf/case-doc...

CCLA is concerned by the federal government's announcement to indefinitely exclude people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness from accessing MAiD. The blanket exclusion is discriminatory and raises serious equality concerns. Full press release here: ccla.org/press-releas...

Earlier this week, TCIS & @internetsociety.org brought experts together to discuss Bill C-22, lawful access, and the risks of weakening encryption. The conversation has since been covered by @theglobeandmail.com & @betakit.com. Watch the full event recording: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_4U...

The CCLA will appear as an intervenor before the Supreme Court of Canada today in R. v. Chemlal. This appeal concerns the legal threshold police must satisfy to conduct a safety search when someone is not under arrest or detained. ccla.org/criminal-jus...

On September 11, 2026, the Supreme Court released its decision in R. v. R.B.-C., 2026 SCC 30. The CCLA was an intervenor in the case, which concerned how the right to be tried within a reasonable time under s. 11(b) of the Charter applies to sentencing proceedings. ccla.org/criminal-jus...

Today, on the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, we honour the lives, memories and spirits of those who have been taken from their families and communities. Remembering is not enough. Justice requires action.

L'ACLC a corédigé une déclaration dénonçant l'instrumentalisation de la laïcité par le gouvernement sortant. Les signataires demandent aux chef·fes de tous les partis politiques d'abroger les lois 21, 94 et 9. framaforms.org/declaration-...

CCLA has co-authored a statement denouncing the outgoing government's instrumentalisation of secularism. The signatories are calling on the leaders of all political parties to repeal Bills 21, 94 and 9. It is not too late to sign the statement. framaforms.org/declaration-...

"Open-ended executive powers are antithetical to a functioning democracy," says CCLA's Executive Director, Howard Sapers, on Bill C-39. Read our full statement here: ccla.org/press-releas...

Correctional Services Canada has restricted access to key medications for people in federal prisons who have mental health conditions. Read the joint civil society letter the CCLA has co-signed, calling for these restrictions to be reversed. acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:...

Today is International Equal Pay Day — but "equal pay" isn't equal for everyone. At CCLA, we believe closing these gaps requires more than good intentions — it requires enforceable pay transparency laws, stronger human rights protections, and accountability for employers.

The CCLA is deeply concerned by the Nova Scotia government’s recent changes to social assistance regulations that exclude people living in encampments from receiving enhanced social assistance and disability supplement benefits. Read our press release here: ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA and fellow INCLO members urged the EU and Hague Group to act on new US sanctions against ICC judges—pushing back on Rome Statute withdrawals, activating blocking laws, protecting banking access, and condemning sanctions on civil society groups working with the Court. inclo.net/latest/state...

Documents d’Élections Québec en français seulement : l’ACLC met en garde contre une érosion du processus démocratique. *** Élections Québec Documents in French only: CCLA Warns Against an Erosion of the Democratic Process ccla.org/fr/communiqu...

The CLA and CCLA welcome the injunction to the mandatory cash bail provisions ordered today by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Until a final judgment is rendered in this case, the cash bail provisions will not be in effect. The injunction can be read here. ccla.org/wp-content/u...

L’ACLC vient d’identifier cinq priorité urgentes en matière de droits de la personne au sujet desquelles le prochain gouvernement québécois doit se prononcer. Lisez notre lettre aux chef.fes de partis politiques ici. ccla.org/wp-content/u...

CCLA just identified five urgent human rights priorities on which the next Quebec government must take a stand. Read our letter to Quebec’s party leaders here: ccla.org/wp-content/u...

The CCLA and CLA's factum in our joint constitutional challenge to the cash bail provisions in Ontario's Bill 75 can be read here: ccla.org/wp-content/u... The challenge will be argued before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice at 361 University Ave. in Toronto on Thursday, August 27 at 10 AM.

CCLA is calling on York Region to establish an independent external review of the July 30, 2026, use-of-force incident involving a young Black man with a cognitive disability at the Newmarket Bus Terminal. You can read the letter we sent here. ccla.org/equality/cal...

CCLA has filed a Notice of Application today with the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench alleging that the underfunding of criminal legal aid by the Governments of Manitoba and Canada violates the Charter. This is the first challenge of its kind in Canada. ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA has sent a letter to Ontario’s Big City Mayors in response to their “Reaction to Recovery” campaign, calling for urgent provincial action on mental health, drug toxicity and homelessness. ccla.org/equality/ccl...

The Criminal Lawyers’ Association (CLA) and Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) have launched a Constitutional challenge before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against the introduction of mandatory cash bail by the province. ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA is questioning the Ontario government’s motives for introducing regulations that would exclude people—including people with disabilities—from eligibility for essential social assistance benefits. Read more here. ccla.org/equality/ccl...

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Criminal Lawyers’ Association will launch an urgent constitutional challenge next week against the introduction of mandatory cash bail by the province on August 17. Read the press release here. ccla.org/take-action/...

No government should be able to grant itself immunity for intentional wrongdoing. Government accountability and respect for the rule of law are essential to a functioning democracy. ccla.org/press-releas...

On June 26, 2026, the Supreme Court released its judgment in EPS v. McKee, 2026 SCC 24. The CCLA was an intervener in the case. McKee concerned what information about police misconduct by officers involved in a case must be shared with an accused person before their trial. ccla.org/criminal-jus...

Parliament crossed a constitutional red line with Bill C-16, seeking to overrule the Supreme Court on the remedy for a violation of the Charter right to be tried within a reasonable time. Read more here. ccla.org/criminal-jus...

More than 60 civil liberties, human rights, faith based and community organizations just released a statement denouncing the adoption of Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act. ccla.org/press-releas...

Today, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Ligue des droits et libertés are joining forces to call for a public inquiry into police racism within the SPVM and an end to street checks.

Aujourd'hui, l'ACLC et la Ligue des droits et libertés s'unissent pour réclamer une commission d'enquête publique sur le racisme policier au sein du SPVM et la fin des interpellations policières.

On Wednesday, the federal government introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, with the stated goal of making the online activities of Canadians safer. However, the bill raises significant civil liberties concerns. ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA has filed its intervention factum in Saskatchewan v. UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity – the first Supreme Court of Canada case to directly address anti-trans legislation in Canada’s history. Read more here. ccla.org/equality/ccl...

Open-ended obligations, sweeping regulatory powers and a looming social media ban for children under 16 in Bill C-34, the Social Media Safety Act, threaten civil liberties. Read more: ccla.org/press-releas...

84% of Albertans want political parties held to the same privacy laws as businesses and public bodies—but parties are fighting to keep their exemption! Sign the petition: www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en... #cdnpoli @bcfipa.bsky.social @cancivlib.bsky.social

CCLA will be intervening in the case of Irvine et al v University of British Columbia to support that universities remain spaces where critical thinking, respect for diverse perspectives, and robust public debate can continue to flourish. ccla.org/press-releas...

CCLA joins other members of the NEC in calling on the Government of Canada to strengthen the newly established Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion by ensuring meaningful Black representation and explicitly recognizing anti-Black racism within its mandate. ccla.org/press-releas...

June is the start of Pride season across Canada! The CCLA celebrates the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities across Canada whose legacy of activism, courage, and resilience has shaped what equality looks like in this country.

CCLA welcomes the Ontario Superior Court of Justice landmark decision affirming that unhoused people are entitled to full constitutional protection under the Charter and that governments must apply a human rights-based approach in responding to homeless encampments. ccla.org/press-releas...