Civil Rights

Whose rights prevail at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights?

December 28th, 2022 by Michael Hackl

A recent case of schools asking that certain material be excluded from their tours at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights raises questions about the limits of rights.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. Credit: Brydon McCluskey / Unsplash

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Who do we remember on Remembrance Day?

November 9th, 2022 by Ken Farrell

Constant economic growth demands sacrifices from people and communities who benefit very little from capitalism’s greed.

A field of poppies. Credit: Marten Bjork / Unsplash

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To record on Zoom or not – that is the question

August 16th, 2022 by Maggie Fleming

In March 2020, many organizations moved their annual general meetings (AGMs) and board meetings to the internet using platforms like Zoom. Lots of these meetings have stayed online, and for good reason – it’s a way to involve people previously unable to attend and offers an accessible option for those that are not comfortable attending in‑person. For some organizations, pressing the “record” button has become a regular practice. The stated reason often being for minute taking.

But recording, and keeping those recordings, is not without its legal issues. Continue reading “To record on Zoom or not – that is the question”

Judicial activism gone wrong: Abortion rights in America

July 4th, 2022 by Michael Hackl

After the majority decision in Dobbs, we should not assume that the right to an abortion is permanently entrenched in Canadian law.

Huge crowd at the Supreme Court the night after the release of Alito’s draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade Credit: Victoria Pickering / Flickr

A seismic shift in the law just occurred in the United States, as the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning almost 50 years of precedent set by Roe v. Wade, and setting the table for millions of women to be denied the right to an abortion in the country.

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Freaky Friday, political-style: voting in the Ontario provincial election

May 30th, 2022 by Celia Chandler

Politicians who ‘get things done’ are good at doing bad things. But that might be the reason they get re-elected.

Currently York South-Weston is represented federally by Liberal, Ahmed Hussen, the first Somali federally-elected politician and current Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion. Credit: Micheal Swan / Flickr

“So, why do you support him?” I longed to ask the three young, white, able-bodied men, as I walked down the street.

Even without their blue leaflets, they look like stereotypical Ford supporters. They have the swagger of people who’ve never felt the sting of discrimination because of their colour or accent; who’ve never gone hungry; who’ve never wondered how they’d make rent; and who know they will secure well-paying jobs that will afford them houses in neighbourhoods with good schools, brew-pubs, and upscale coffee shops.

Not this neighbourhood.

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Vaccines, masking, and human rights: where do we go from here

April 28th, 2022 by Safia Lakhani

Legally speaking, mandatory vaccination policies may be permissible in the context of employment, business, and housing. However, such policies should account for possible exemptions under the applicable human rights legislation.

Where do we draw the line between human rights, and masking and vaccine mandates?

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