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One of the questions I always enjoyed asking school kids is, “To whom does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms apply?” While there are many possible answers, one that I like to hear is that the Charter is about the relationship between governments and the people who live in Canada. In other words, it applies to all of us.

Courtesy of the Rouleau Commission I developed a late-onset interest in freedom of peaceful assembly (FPA) and s.2(c) of the Charter. Since then it has been an ongoing concern to me that in more than forty years s.2(c) has not received an authoritative interpretation, much less been considered or discussed in any depth by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Universities have property rights. Are they entitled, as a consequence, to exclude others at will? Are property rights, especially those exercised by public institutions like universities, different from homeowners or shop owners?

Bill C-290: The Public Sector Integrity Act, passed unanimously by the House of Commons, would make badly needed amendments to Canada’s deeply flawed whistleblower protection legislation, the Public Sector Disclosures Protection Act (PSDPA). In its submissions, CFE argues that C-290 offers an immediate opportunity to make some of the vital amendments essential for the PSDPA to be able to offer better protection for Canadian whistleblowers. Although arguing that much more needs to be done, the changes C-290 would introduce are necessary steps that must be taken now. The Backgrounder details the significant and wide-ranging problems that exist as a result of the inadequacies of the PSDPA.