CCF staff write on a variety of policy areas from a mostly legal viewpoint. Our staff often focus on policy issues related to the legal cases we support.
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How do Canadians see the country’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms? The constitutional bill of rights is young enough that the benefits of its very existence are still an ongoing matter of debate, never mind differences of opinion about how it should be interpreted. That’s why it surprised me to
Last week, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump went on television and professed his love for eminent domain, the process by which government takes private property without the owner’s consent and uses it for a public purpose. His statement was not surprising given that Trump once stood to benefit personally from
Not much useful usually comes of hot mic incidents. When politicians or celebrities spout off without realizing their words are being picked up by live microphones, humiliation and offence are the typical results. But in the case of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s remarks to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a
This month, Alberta’s privacy commissioner began investigating the Edmonton Police Service’s practice of “carding” — also known as conducting “street checks” — which can result in the collection and storage of information about people not suspected of any crimes. As someone who deals with constitutional issues, I get asked about
It’s been 10 years since the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published the now notorious cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The cartoons were republished by newspapers around the world and more than 200 people died as protests and riots erupted in response. Prime Minister Stephen Harper responded, saying he regretted that Canadian newspapers
Famous Canadians who won’t be voting in the federal election next month include Neil Young, Wayne Gretzky, William Shatner, Bruce Greenwood, Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Donald Sutherland, Pamela Anderson, Shania Twain, Sidney Crosby and James Cameron. I make that prediction with a high degree of confidence, not because I know
I’ve always marvelled at the way legal restrictions on alcohol stemming from a prohibition mindset have hung on so tenaciously, even as the rest of society has long since recognized their counterproductive nature and moved on. Government probably would have moved on too if this were really a story about
The recent trial of New Brunswick resident Gerard Comeau over his unsuccessful attempt to bring 14 cases of Quebec beer into his home province has generated a secondary news wave. Federal politicians on the campaign trail are scurrying to align themselves with beer drinkers, and to place the blame on
When taxi drivers in Ottawa started secretly filming Uber drivers and posting the videos online, they said they were helping gather evidence against lawbreakers. After all, the Uber drivers were ferrying passengers from place to place without a taxi license. In response, Ottawa officials said thanks but no thanks: gathering
