Photo by Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Law and legal issues
Almost half of the people in Manitoba agree there is a problem with the Canadian justice system when it comes to treatment of Indigenous Peoples according to a recent report in the Winnipeg Free Press ("Manitobans divided on justice system," April 16, 2018). Like many problems, it's complex and the way to resolution starts with understanding the many issues.
This letter was submitted to the BC Ministry of Cititzens' Services in response to their 2018 consultation on FOI reform.
*This letter refers to the CCPA–BC's 2016 submission to the Special Committee to Review the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. That submission is attached to the letter, and is also downloadable via: policyalternatives.ca/fippa2016
Canada is only months away from legalizing and regulating the production, sale and use of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes. Yet, as we explore in our cover story this issue, the plan is rife with contradictions: a fledgling industry populated by former police chiefs; the fact bills C-45 and C-46 will create dozens of new pot-related offences in the process of removing some of the old ones; the continued prohibition on growing more than four or five plants at home while Canada's "licensed producers" are expected to make billions.
In April 1982 the Constitution Act was proclaimed. It included the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Charter protects Canadians’ political and civil rights. It enumerates a range of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of association, religion and the press. It also guarantees certain democratic rights, such as the right to vote, mobility rights, legal, equality and language rights.
Illustration by Remie Geoffroi
As far back as October 2005, during a Senate committee hearing on the Anti-terrorism Act, Jim Judd, then director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, admitted his agency had a problem relating to some new immigrants and visible minorities in Canada.
The CCPA-BC sent this submission to the BC Government’s How We Vote consultation, which requests feedback on key elements of the upcoming referendum on electoral reform. Written submissions are being accepted until February 28, 2018.
Understanding unique access to justice challenges faced by specific groups highlights the importance of a more holistic or integrated and consumer-driven approach. This means moving away from a “one-way street” approach where the legal community views itself as the catalyst for solutions. Instead, access to justice work must be situated in understanding all facets of peoples’ lives, including the economic, political, and social spheres. Read full report.
In the report Justice Starts Here: A one-stop shop approach for achieving greater justice in Manitoba, authors Allison Fenske and Beverly Froese from the Public Interest Law Centre spoke with community groups who provide programming, opportunities, and services to people who have been or are at risk of being involved with the justice system about what they see as the way forward to fixing a broken system.