Introduction An extraordinary leak of a draft decision from the US Supreme Court strongly suggests that the majority of the court is leaning towards overruling its landmark precedent in Roe v Wade. […]
Is There a Legal Limit to the Disruption of Protests?
Introduction The 2019/2020 blockades of the Canadian railway lines by certain indigenous occupiers set the precedent for the 2022 truckers’ blockades of Ottawa, the Windsor-Detroit Ambassador Bridge and other trade-sensitive locations in […]
Why Canadians’ Civil Rights Aren’t Guaranteed By Our Charter of Rights
In early December 2021 Fatemeh Anvari, a Quebec Teacher, was removed from her Grade 3 classroom for wearing her hijab at work. (She wasn’t fired but assigned to other duties.) She was […]
The MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) Debate is the Abortion Debate All Over Again
Introduction 2,420 years ago Socrates was in prison awaiting execution. One of his followers begged him to escape, saying “But Socrates, you have been condemned to death.” In refusing to escape, Socrates […]
In a conflict of rights, who wins?
If everyone is given the right to everything then eventually, no one will have the right to anything. Civil rights (or civil liberties as they are sometimes called) have an important […]
The Marshall Case: A Deal is a Deal the Supreme Court held. (But What’s the Deal?)
The Ugly Violence in Nova Scotia In the last two weeks there has been escalating violence in Nova Scotia, including assaults, a mob of 200 people threatening Mi’kmaq fishers, and burning down […]
UNDRIP: THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (PART 1 OF 3)
Introduction to This Three-Part Post The Canadian economy has been devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and still faces further losses. As we emerge from the lockdowns and try to restore a new […]
UNDRIP: THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (PART 3 OF 3)
part 2 is here PART 3: Enshrining UNDRIP Into Canadian Law Would Do More Harm Than Good If UNDRIP had been declared 50 years ago and approved by Canada then, it might […]
COVID-19 and the Cabinet’s Emergency Powers.
March 21, 2020. Briefing by Prime Minister Trudeau, responding to a question: PM: “We have not removed from the table any options. We are looking at a broad array of measures that […]
Vavilov (Part 2 of 2): Did the Court Fix Canadian Judicial Review?
If you have not read Part 1 of this post I suggest that you read it first, here. This Part is for those interested in law and how it develops but is not […]