BC Civil Liberties Association

BCCLA and OpenMedia React: Bill S-210 leaving committee stage without adequate study

Vancouver, BC / unceded Coast Salish Territories – The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and OpenMedia are disappointed that the House Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (“SECU”) […]

BCCLA disappointed by Supreme Court of Canada decision upholding the military court martial system

Ottawa, ON (unceded territory of the Algonquin/Omàmìwininìwag) – The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) is disappointed in today’s Supreme Court of Canada’s (SCC) decision in R v Edwards et al, […]

2024 Budget Fails People with Disabilities

The BC Civil Liberties Association joins the chorus of persons with disabilities (PWD) and disability advocacy groups in expressing our profound disappointment in the federal government’s failure to make good […]

Media Advisory: BCCLA, Animal Justice, and Centre for Freedom of Expression at the Ontario Court of Appeal to defend the public interest in challenging government decisions

WHAT: BCCLA, Animal Justice, and Centre for Freedom of Expression at the Ontario Court of Appeal to jointly intervene in Democracy Watch v Ontario Integrity Commissioner, to defend the public […]

Press Release: Seven Years Later and We are Still Waiting for Justice for Dale Culver

Prince George, BC (unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation) – In July 2017, Dale Culver, a 35-year-old Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan man was killed by the RCMP in Prince […]

Media Advisory: BCCLA at Supreme Court of Canada to urge police accountability when contemplating a warrantless search and seizure of electronic communications

WHAT: BCCLA at Supreme Court of Canada to intervene in R v Campbell to ensure police accountability when contemplating a warrantless search and seizure of electronic communications WHEN: March 21, […]

BCCLA and West Coast LEAF React: Proposed Amendments to BC’s Child Protection Legislation Won’t Cure Privacy Rights Violations

Vancouver, BC (Unceded Coast Salish Territories) – The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and West Coast LEAF are disappointed by the BC government’s proposed amendments to s. 96 of the […]

Media Advisory: BCCLA intervening at Quebec Court of Appeal to end racial profiling through traffic stops

WHAT: BCCLA at the Court of Appeal of Quebec to intervene in Attorney General of Quebec v Luamba et al to end police racial profiling on the road WHEN: March 5 and 6, […]

BCCLA celebrates Supreme Court of Canada decision protecting online privacy

Ottawa, ON (unceded Anishinabe Algonquin Territory) – The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) welcomes the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in R v. Bykovets, a case that considered the question […]

Press Release: BCCLA urges immediate financial assistance for Persons with Disabilities while Canada Disability Benefit in limbo

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) – The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) is calling on the federal government to provide desperately needed interim and retroactive financial assistance […]

Vancouver Park Board Must Halt Operations to Decamp CRAB Park Residents!

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) – On Monday, February 26, 2024, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation issued written notice to CRAB Park residents to leave […]

Press Release: BCCLA at Ontario Court of Appeal to intervene in youth fight to hold Province accountable for breaching Charter rights on impacts of climate change

Toronto, ON (traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples) – The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) will make oral […]

Bill C-20: Advocating for Effective Oversight of the CBSA and RCMP

Establishing an independent oversight mechanism for the CBSA is desperately required and long overdue. CBSA officers hold the authority of peace officers, granting them extensive powers such as search and […]

Press Release: BCCLA calls for investigation into police conduct and withdrawl of charges against Calgary protestor

Calgary, AB (Treaty 7 Territory and the traditional land of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Ĩyãħé Nakoda, Tsuu T’ina and the Metis Nation in Region 3) – The BC Civil Liberties Association […]

The Arrest Handbook Series: Heavily Policed Communities

What do we mean when we say Heavily Policed Communities? It’s a reality that some communities face far more policing than others. This often includes more expansive and continuous police […]

Canada’s Mass Incarceration of Indigenous Peoples – Part 1

Written by Safiyya Ahmad While the BCCLA works towards systemic change in the criminal legal system, Canada’s use of mass incarceration against Indigenous people is a problem that is only […]

The Mass Casualty Commission: Advocating with East Coast Prison Justice Society to Enhance Democratic Policing and Protect Marginalized People and Communities

In April 2020, a man impersonating an RCMP officer killed 22 people in various locations in Nova Scotia. The public has been asking questions ever since, wanting to understand whether […]

Five Reasons Why the Community Safety Act Should Never Come to Life in BC

The BC government passed the Community Safety Act in 2013 but it has never taken effect. The BC government recently reintroduced this troublesome Act by passing the Community Safety Amendment […]

BCCLA statement on International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

On this day, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, BCCLA commemorates and pledges to continue the fight against the oppression of LGBTQI+ identity, and to promote genuine equality […]

Why “Cyber” is Red-Hot (and why it’s a Burning Civil Liberties Issue)

Protecting digital systems and being resilient to computer hacking are not new concepts. But the implications of cyber security (‘cyber’, in the lingo) have recently exploded. Cyber security is […]

Border rights: what you need to know

Like many of you, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my rights at the border. In light of reports that numerous Canadians have been refused entry to the United […]

Updated: Our National Security Consultation series

A Different Shade of Green Paper: What the government forgot to mention The federal government recently announced the launch of the much-anticipated National Security Consultation. This is an unprecedented opportunity […]

What Happens If You Don’t Provide Your Cellphone Password to Border Agents?

A highly anticipated case about border officials demanding passwords for electronic devices came in with a bang and went out with hardly a peep. Alain Philippon was arrested in March […]

Welcome Maggie Knight, BCCLA’s Operations Manager

Please extend a huge welcome to Maggie Knight, BCCLA’s first Operations Manager. Maggie has just joined the team last week. Previously, Maggie ran communications and operations at RADIUS, a social […]

In praise of police judo

JUDO, THE GENTLE WAY During law school, I contemplated going on to do a Master’s Degree in Criminology at Oxford. I even pitched the head of the department with a […]

Yet another reason to oppose mandatory minimum sentences

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in the Criminal Justice System As one of its 94 calls to action,[1] the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools called on “the […]

The BCCLA is hiring an Operations Manager!

The BC Civil Liberties Association seeks an Operations Manager to support us in achieving our human rights and civil liberties mandate through the design, implementation and management of office […]

A tough week for voting rights

Recently, the Ontario courts issued two important decisions affecting Canadians’ constitutionally protected right to vote. The decisions are troubling. Between them, the rulings will effectively disenfranchise over a million Canadian […]

Coming Together in Memory and Hope

This is a defining moment in the epic legal battle the BC Civil Liberties Association has been waging for over four years to decriminalize physician assisted dying. Tomorrow, on October 15, […]

Carter v. Canada: The Death with Dignity Case

Synopsis The BCCLA filed a lawsuit in April 2011 to seek to allow seriously and incurably ill, mentally competent adults the right to receive medical assistance to hasten death under […]

Privacy Concerns Persist over Filming for Reality Television at Border Crossing

You might have heard of reality show Border Security: Canada’s Front Line after it received criticism earlier this year for documenting the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a […]

Civil Liberties and Human Rights Groups United in Opposition to Bill S-7 (Combating Terrorism Act)

Representatives from civil liberties and human rights groups will testify before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Wednesday, November 28 and Monday, December 3 to express […]