Canadians voted federally in September, and Albertans head back to the polls in October for municipal elections. But who has the right to vote in these elections? The right to vote is the foundation of democracy, and democracy cannot be established without it. Voting allows individuals to affect … [Read more...]
A Troubled Prosecutor on a Quest in Fujimori’s Peru
Santiago Roncagliolo's Red April offers a gripping and insightful look into the terrors in Peru in 2000, especially towards Indigenous peoples. Like Canada, Peru has a long and troubled colonial relationship with its Indigenous peoples. Today, Canada is making strides in the vital process of … [Read more...]
Does Elite Sport Respect Young Athletes’ Human Rights?
We all enjoy watching national and international sports events. But most of us have no idea about an athlete’s journey to make it to these events. To become elite athletes and reach the top of their sport, children may leave their families and begin training extensively at a very early age. Most of … [Read more...]
Accessibility Legislation Across Canada: The current situation
The Accessible Canada Act and similar legislation in four provinces address systemic barriers of accessibility. According to Statistics Canada (2017), 22% of Canadians over the age of 15 live with at least one disability that limits their everyday activities. Federal and provincial human … [Read more...]
Disabilities, Accommodation and Mask Rules: Human Rights Commission weighs in
The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal released a screening decision about a customer's complaint of having to wear a mask in a store. Recently, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal declined to accept a complaint in a case called The Customer v The Store, 2021 BCHRT 39 (The Customer). … [Read more...]
Advancing the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation under International Law: Human rights vs. investor rights
While international mechanisms are increasingly recognizing the human rights to water and sanitation, states must take action too. Concerns about the human rights to water and sanitation (HRWS) under international law have gained increasing attention in recent years. In Canada, ongoing water … [Read more...]
Stateless but Not Powerless
A novel of Kurdish resistance and the quandary of human rights in our time The most compelling new novel I read in 2020 is Daughters of Smoke and Fire from debut Kurdish-Canadian novelist Ava Homa. This dynamic advocacy piece for Kurds and women’s rights in the Middle East was also the inaugural … [Read more...]
SCC Rules on Intellectual Disabilities and Equality
A recent Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) case, R v Slatter, 2020 SCC 36, provided a strong statement about the treatment of evidence provided by witnesses who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Thomas Slatter was convicted at trial of sexually assaulting an intellectually disabled … [Read more...]
Transgender Inmates in Canada
How do federal, provincial and territorial laws or policies protect transgender inmates? Individuals may identify with a gender that goes along with their sex given at birth, they may identify with a gender that is different from their sex given at birth, or they may identify with a non-traditional … [Read more...]
Why is Canada a Bilingual Country?
Canada has two official languages: French and English. We always wonder why. Canada’s two colonizing peoples are the French and the British. They controlled land and built colonies alongside Indigenous peoples, who had been living there for millennia. They had two different languages and cultures. … [Read more...]