Getting Charter rights right
The BCCLA has been in court a LOT over the past several years. We’ve launched challenges to the prohibition on physician assisted dying, indefinite solitary confinement and second-class citizenship, and […]
Silver Linings: The Supreme Court of Canada Rules on the Definition of Terrorist Activity
Today, the Supreme Court of Canada delivered its decisions in R. v. Khawaja, United States v. Nadarajah, and United States v. Sriskandarajah. These companion cases deal with the constitutionality of […]
From the media: coverage of Afghan detainee disclosures
We here at the BCCLA National Security Blog have been anxiously awaiting the disclosure of materials from Parliament’s detainee document review, notwithstanding the fact that it was more than likely […]
Can we hold you for a while?
Yesterday, BCCLA Counsel Carmen Cheung appeared before the House of Commons Committee on Public Safety and National Security to present the BCCLA’s position on Bill C-17, legislation seeking to resurrect […]
Secret documents, secret review
Yesterday, a detainee document agreement was struck between Government and two of three Opposition parties. The “pact” comes a full month and a half after Peter Milliken, Speaker of the […]
Not my job (redux)
The BCCLA National Security blog is posting from sunny Ottawa today, where we finished up the last of the MPCC witnesses until hearings resume again in mid-June. Carmen Cheung, Counsel […]
This week at the MPCC
The Afghanistan Public Interest Hearings at the Military Police Complaints Commission continue this week before a month-long break while the Commission waits for the government to make the required document […]
Parliament: 1 / Government: 0
In a precedent-setting decision this afternoon, House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken ruled that the government could be compelled to disclose to Parliament uncensored copies of documents relating to the transfer […]
Eight more complaints of torture in 2008; more documents withheld/disclosed; goings-on in Parliament; oh my!
This morning, former DFAIT official Nicholas Gosselin testified before the MPCC. Mr. Gosselin was the DFAIT human rights officer in Afghanistan who discovered implements of torture in an Afghan prison […]
Photo of the day: Empty chairs (UPDATED)
Empty chairs, courtesy CBC Conservative MPs boycotted the Tuesday emergency meeting of the parliamentary committee looking into allegations that Canadian Forces transferred Afghan detainees to torture. The seven Conservative MPs […]