Canadian Civil Liberties Association

10/04/2026

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.

We stand with the families, Survivors and communities who continue to seek justice, accountability, healing and safety.

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls made clear that the violence faced by Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people is rooted in the intersecting systems of colonialism, racism, sexism, gender-based discrimination and systemic inequality.

At the CCLA, we remain committed to defending the rights and freedoms of Indigenous peoples and advocating for laws and policies that advance equality, dignity, accountability and justice.

Remembering is not enough. Justice requires action.

09/30/2026

September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to remember, reflect and act.

Truth and reconciliation require more than acknowledging the harms of the past. They require confronting the ongoing impacts of colonialism and the ways in which laws, policies and institutions continue to affect First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

At CCLA, we recognize that human rights, equality and civil liberties cannot be fully realized without addressing the historical and ongoing injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples.

Reconciliation requires listening to Survivors and Indigenous communities, honouring Indigenous rights, and holding governments and institutions accountable for meaningful change.

Today, we honour the Survivors, their families and communities, and the children who never returned home.

Truth must lead to accountability. Reconciliation must lead to action.

09/28/2026

CCLA has co-authored a statement with a coalition of Quebec civil society organizations denouncing the outgoing government's instrumentalisation of secularism. The 146 organizations and 1,937 individuals who have endorsed the statement so far affirm their commitment to state secularism, gender equality, and human rights. They reject the government's misuse of secularism to exclude Quebecers, particularly Muslim women who wear religious symbols, from entire sectors of public life.

Bills 21, 94 and 9 have caused many female workers to lose their jobs, barred students from certain professions, and prevented parents from participating in their children's schools.

The signatories are calling on the leaders of all political parties to commit to promoting a conception of secularism that respects human rights, as well as to repeal Bills 21, 94 and 9 should their party form the next government.
It is not too late to sign the statement. Link below.

https://framaforms.org/declaration-contre-linstrumentalisation-de-la-laicite-1788538858?utm_campaign=infolettre_speciale_revue_29_juin_2026&utm_content=lien&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Yapla

09/28/2026

L'ACLC a corédigé, avec une coalition d'organisations de la société civile québécoise, une déclaration dénonçant l'instrumentalisation de la laïcité par le gouvernement sortant. Les 146 organisations et 1937 individu·es ayant endossé cette déclaration à ce jour y affirment leur attachement à la laïcité de l'État, à l'égalité des genres et aux droits humains. Les signataires refusent que la laïcité soit détournée par le gouvernement pour exclure des Québécoises et des Québécois de pans entiers de la vie publique, au premier chef les femmes musulmanes portant un signe religieux.

Les lois 21, 94 et 9 ont notamment fait perdre leur emploi à plusieurs travailleuses, fermé l'accès à certaines professions à des personnes étudiantes et empêché des parents de s'impliquer dans l'école de leurs enfants.

Les signataires réclament que les chef·fes de tous les partis politiques s'engagent à promouvoir une conception de la laïcité respectueuse des droits humains et à abroger les lois 21, 94 et 9 si leur parti forme le prochain gouvernement.

Il n'est pas trop t**d pour signer la déclaration. Lien ci-dessous.

https://framaforms.org/declaration-contre-linstrumentalisation-de-la-laicite-1788538858?utm_campaign=infolettre_speciale_revue_29_juin_2026&utm_content=lien&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Yapla

09/23/2026

The federal government’s latest omnibus legislation, An Act respecting certain measures to strengthen the economy (Bill C-39), is touted as necessary to build a stronger, more independent, and more sustainable economy. Instead, it pits these goals against the rule of law and Charter rights.

“One of the many lessons we should draw from the rapid erosion of democratic norms in the United States is that open-ended executive powers are antithetical to a functioning democracy,” said CCLA’s Executive Director Howard Sapers.

​Bill C-39 would expand the exemption powers created last year under Bill C-5, allowing Cabinet to designate "regions of national interest" where federal laws that would otherwise apply to a project can be overridden. It would also strip out the five-year sunset clause that kept those powers temporary.

​Together, these changes would turn what was presented as a limited and temporary power into what CCLA's Director of Fundamental Freedoms, Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, calls "a sweeping and permanent power grab by Cabinet."
The Bill would also let the Minister of Labour direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board to end a legal strike that affects the "national interest,” without defining the term. “Giving the Minister of Labour broad discretion to end legal strikes does not strengthen Canada. It undermines freedom of association and further tilts the balance of power toward employers at a time when many workers in Canada are struggling to make ends meet,” continued Bussieres McNicoll.

CCLA is urging the government to build a stronger economy without sacrificing what makes Canada a robust and functioning democracy.
You can read our full press release here:
https://ccla.org/press-release/bill-c-39-ccla-warns-against-expanding-already-problematic-exemption-powers-and-limiting-workers-bargaining-rights/

09/18/2026

Correctional Services Canada has restricted access to key medications for people in federal prisons who have mental health conditions. These medications treat major depressive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other mental health conditions. Read the joint civil society letter the CCLA has co-signed, calling for these restrictions to be reversed.

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:093f5dd4-2ccb-43e1-90df-4f5f87fc29c8

09/18/2026

Today is International Equal Pay Day — but "equal pay" isn't equal for everyone.

Across Canada, women earn about 88 cents for every dollar men earn. That gap alone is unacceptable. But it widens sharply for workers who face overlapping forms of discrimination:

Indigenous women earn just 79 cents for every dollar earned
Black women earn just 68 cents for every dollar earned
Racialized women earn just 78 cents for every dollar earned
Newcomer women earn just 71 cents for every dollar earned
Women with disabilities earn as little as 54 cents for every dollar earned

Pay equity is a civil liberties issue. Discriminatory pay practices, whether intentional or baked into systemic barriers, violate the right to equality that everyone in Canada is entitled to.

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.

Equal pay for equal work shouldn't depend on your race, gender identity, ability, or immigration status.

09/10/2026

CCLA Slams Nova Scotia Government for Excluding People Living in Encampments from Disability Benefits

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (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.

“People do not become less deserving of disability support because they are living in a tent,” said Harini Sivalingam, Director of Equality at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “Rather than ensuring that people with disabilities can access the supports they need, the province is creating an additional barrier for people who are already among the most marginalized in our society.”

The CCLA urges the Nova Scotia government to reverse its decision to exclude people living in encampments from eligibility for these critical social assistance and disability supports and to ensure that its social assistance policies and regulations respect equality, dignity and human rights.

Read our full press release here:

Home » PRESS RELEASES » CCLA Slams Nova Scotia Government for Excluding People Living in Encampments from Disability Benefits

09/03/2026

In letters to the European Commission and to the Hague Group, CCLA, along with other INCLO members from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe, wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Hague Group Executive Secretary Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, asking for immediate action on the sanctions newly imposed by the US against International Criminal Court judges.

These new sanctions, combined with US pressure on states to leave the Rome Statute, represent an escalating threat to the Court and to multilateralism that must be confronted.

The letters call on the European Union and the Hague Group to:

-Launch a coordinated diplomatic push to stop other countries from withdrawing from the Rome Statute.
-Activate blocking legislation to shield individuals and organizations already hit by US sanctions.
-Work with banks and payment processors so they don't pre-emptively cut off ICC staff, judges, or partner NGOs, and help set up real banking alternatives for those affected.
-Consistently and publicly condemn sanctions against civil society groups that work with the ICC, not just those against its judges and staff.

To read the letter to the Hague Group and to the European Commission, check the links out below:

https://inclo.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Letter-to-the-Hague-Group-on-ICC-sanctions.pdf

https://inclo.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Letter-to-EC-on-ICC-sanctions.pdf

09/03/2026

⚖️ What just happened?

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has temporarily stopped the mandatory cash bail rules in Ontario’s Bill 75. This pause, called an injunction, was granted after the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and the Criminal Lawyers’ Association (CLA) jointly challenged the law.

For now, the new cash bail rules will not apply in Ontario. They are on hold until the judge issues a final decision.

⚖️ How bail normally works in Canada

Under the federal Criminal Code, a justice decides whether a person can be released while awaiting trial. Because people are presumed innocent, bail is meant to allow release unless detention is truly necessary to ensure the accused attends court, for the protection or safety of the public, or to maintain confidence in the administration of justice.

In Ontario, most people are released on a promise to pay. This means:

◾ The accused, or a surety (someone supervising them), pledges an amount of money.

◾ They only have to pay that money if a bail condition is broken and a justice orders it paid.

⚖️ What Ontario’s Bill 75 would do

Bill 75 would require anyone released on a promise to pay—or their surety—to deposit money with the court within 48 hours. If they do not, they would face a provincial offence.

In practice, this means every promise to pay becomes a form of cash bail, dramatically expanding the use of upfront payments.

⚖️ Why the CCLA challenged Bill 75

The constitutional challenge argued that:

◾ Ontario cannot impose mandatory cash bail because bail is a matter of criminal procedure that falls under federal jurisdiction.

◾ Mandatory cash bail conflicts with the Criminal Code, which treats cash bail as exceptional.

◾ Bill 75 violates section 11(e) of the Charter, which protects the right not to be denied reasonable bail.

⚖️ What the injunction means going forward

The mandatory cash bail provisions in Bill 75 are paused. The court will continue to consider the full arguments and evidence before making a final ruling. Until then, the usual bail rules outlined in the Criminal Code remain in place, protecting fairness, accessibility, and the presumption of innocence.