The BCCLA appeared as an intervener before the Supreme Court of Canada in three companion cases concerning the Charter rights of the accused to speak with a lawyer. Of the many protections afforded by the Charter, those triggered by an individual’s arrest or detention are among the most critical. The BCCLA argued that people who are detained by the police have an ongoing right to speak to counsel. Providing an individual with a one-time opportunity to speak to his or her lawyer at the beginning of a detention is not enough.