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The BCCLA works to promote, defend, sustain, and extend civil liberties and human rights in British Columbia and Canada.

We achieve this mandate through four core programs:

  1. Litigation in Court
  2. Law and Policy Reform
  3. Public Legal Education
  4. Community-based information assistance and advocacy

Relentless in our pursuit of justice, we have grown from a small group of academics and activists to a non-partisan and non-profit organization of people who continue to fight for civil liberties and human rights.

Mandate

The BCCLA exists to protect human dignity. In order for us to promote, defend, sustain, and extend civil liberties to our communities, it must first be acknowledged we are working within a colonial legal system. It is these systems that need transformation and change. 

The BCCLA is committed to upholding our promise to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, where we committed to action and to “our vigilance in using whatever resources we have to oppose violations of the rights and freedoms of Indigenous people now and in the future.” The BCCLA seeks justice in establishing rules of law, with equity as the leading demand. 

The BCCLA acknowledges we are working to change colonial laws in a colonial system. As an organization working against the system, we will continue to work to the full realization of the rights of Indigenous peoples.

As one of Canada’s most successful non-government legal intervenors, we are known as a trustworthy advocacy organization that will stand in solidarity with equity-denied communities. The BCCLA focuses on the relationship between people and the state, and the ways in which the state can limit or advance human rights and liberties The BCCLA’s work pays particular attention to the needs of vulnerable individuals and oppressed communities, who would otherwise have difficulty securing redress for violations. These communities face serious limitations on their rights despite being the most susceptible to state regulation and violence.

Our work ranges in diverse issue topics including:

  • Criminalization and Criminal Law Reform 
  • Democracy 
  • Due Process 
  • Fundamental Freedoms
  • Healthcare Rights
  • Human Rights
  • Indigenous Rights
  • Migrant Rights 
  • National Security 
  • Policing 
  • Prisoners’ Rights
  • Privacy and Surveillance 

Funders and Community Partners

 

Thank you to our funders and community partners!

The BCCLA wishes to gratefully acknowledge the financial and in-kind assistance of our major funders and community partners for this calendar year. Their contribution benefits the advancement of civil liberties and human rights in BC and Canada through our litigation, law reform, and public legal education efforts.

Law Foundation of BC Canadian Bar Association 
Court Challenges Program Vancouver Foundation
Canadian Race Relations Foundation BC Ministry of Public Safety
Health Sciences Association of BC BC Government and Service Employees Union
Teaching Support Staff Union UFCW Local 1518
CUPE BC UBC Social Justice Centre
University of Victoria Faculty of Law Pro Bono Students Canada

We could not do this work without the dedication of our staff, the passion of our volunteers including our board and pro bono counsel, and without the stalwart support of our members.  

If you are not yet a member, consider becoming one today and stand up for civil liberties and human rights for all.

 

About our work
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Litigation

Litigation is the act of taking a dispute to court. The BCCLA uses its community of experts to fight for constitutional rights. This work is imperative to ensure the Charter is working to protect the rights of the people. We work to positively impact the lives of many through historic test-case litigation. By using this tool, law and reform is the outcome.

As one of Canada’s most successful non-government legal intervenors, we are an advocacy organization that stands in solidarity with equity-denied communities. Our work focuses on the relationship between people and the state, and how the state can limit or advance human rights and liberties. The BCCLA pays particular attention to the needs of vulnerable individuals and oppressed communities, who would otherwise have difficulty getting redress for violations of their rights. 

OUR GROUNDBREAKING LITIGATION INCLUDES:
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law & policy reform

Just because something is codified in law, doesn’t make it right. The BCCLA has positioned itself as an organization of influential experts, demanding justice in policy and law.

We concentrate our efforts in reforming law at all levels of government. It is through an equitable lens that the BCCLA demands that legislators and government policy-makers answer to the national community of people who want a better future.

Accountability is only meaningful when it occurs at all levels of influence. The BCCLA holds leaders and people in positions of power accountable by working towards substantive and meaningful changes to law.

Some of our latest Policy Submissions:
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Public Legal Education

Education and access to knowledge are key to moving society forward. To know better is to do better. At the BCCLA, we believe in leveraging our knowledge and addressing the injustices that ultimately call for recourse and action.

Advocacy and allyship are not one-time-use verbs. They are commitments to using power and privilege to fight oppression by empowering communities made vulnerable by white supremacy and colonialism. The BCCLA continues to use our voice to deconstruct these harmful systems. Through workshops, events, and publications, we prioritize the need for systems to do better by ensuring communities know their rights. Education has the power to change, and it’s imperative we continue to advocate for all groups experiencing oppression from colonial systems.

Discover our public legal education projects:

CIVIL LIBERTIES CAN’T PROTECT THEMSELVES