- Supreme Court Registrar’s conduct towards self-represented litigants
- York University’s removal of student group status
- Justice for Deepan Budlakoti
- Public Money is Not for Silencing Critics
- Motion for Leave to Intervene in Supreme Court appeal of Thibodeau, et al. v. Air Canada, et al.
- Motion for Leave to Intervene in Supreme Court leave to appeal of Denis Rancourt v. Joanne St. Lewis, et al.
- Searches at cadet summer camps (National Defence)
- Hate speech charges against Arthur Topham
- Hate speech charges against Kevin Johnston
- Hate speech charges against James Sears and Lawrence St. Germaine
- Letter to Ontario Attorney General asking her not to consent to prosecutions under censorship provisions of Canada’s Criminal Code
- Submission on new federal “Online Hate” laws
- Opposing mandatory face masks in Ontario municipalities | All posts on face masks
Supreme Court Registrar’s conduct towards self-represented litigants
This public campaign relates to the OCLA’s concerns about the conduct of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada, which deprives unrepresented litigants from access to the Court.
- March 4, 2013 – OCLA letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice, Beverly McLachlin, about the conduct of the Registrar of the Supreme Court towards self-represented litigants
- March 7, 2013 – Letter from Mr. Richard Dearden to Supreme Court Chief Justice
- March 11, 2013 – OCLA letter to Chief Justice re: Richard Dearden’s letter
- April 8, 2013 – Letter from Supreme Court Registrar, Roger Bilodeau, to self-represented litigant, Denis Rancourt reversing his decision to bar a leave to appeal application
- April 11, 2013 – Letter from Supreme Court Registry to self-represented litigant, Denis Rancourt assigning file number
- April 19, 2013 – Letter from Chief Justice to OCLA in response to March 4 letter
- May 31, 2013 – Email from OCLA to Registry Director, Nadia Loreti, re: procedure for self-represented litigants
- June 14, 2013 – Letter from Registry Director to OCLA in response to May 31 email
York University’s removal of student group status
This public campaign relates to the removal of student group status from the group Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) at York University, in relation to political protests organized by the group on campus.
- June 17, 2013 – Letter from OCLA to York University President, Mamdouh Shoukri
- July 18, 2013 – Letter from York University President to OCLA
- July 19, 2013 – Letter from York University VP Students to OCLA
- October 29, 2013 – Letter from OCLA to York University President, Mamdouh Shoukri
- March 25, 2014 – Press conference at York University
Justice for Deepan Budlakoti
Deepan Budlakoti is a born and raised Canadian who faces deportation by Canada to India, a country he has never lived in. The civil liberties of all members of a free and democratic society must be upheld if they are to mean anything at all.
Visit the Justice for Deepan Budlakoti Support Committee to sign the petition and get the latest information on Deepan’s case.
- August 22, 2013 – Letter from OCLA to The Honourable Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
- August 28, 2013 – Press release by OCLA
- 28 aôut 2013 – Communiqué de presse par l’ALCO
- September 17, 2013 – Reply from Immigration Minister’s office to OCLA
- October 23, 2013 –Reply from The Honourable Steven Blaney, Public Safety Minister to OCLA
Public Money is Not for Silencing Critics
The Ontario Civil Liberties Association (OCLA) is demanding that the University of Ottawa stop financing a private defamation lawsuit against its long-time and outspoken critic Denis Rancourt.
Motion for Leave to Intervene in Supreme Court appeal of Thibodeau et al. v. Air Canada et al.
The Ontario Civil Liberties Association and Dr. Gábor Lukács filed a motion for leave to intervene to the Supreme Court of Canada in Thibodeau et al. v. Air Canada et al. to address the issue of whether an international treaty (the “Montreal Convention”) bars actions for damages against Air Canada arising from human rights and civil liberties abridgements to passengers onboard international flights.
Two other parties filed motions for leave to intervene at the same stage: the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Key documents from this motion are listed and linked to below:
- September 23, 2013 – Motion for leave to intervene of the OCLA and Dr. Lukács.
- October 3, 2013 – Responses to motions for leave to intervene of the OCLA and Dr. Lukács, the CHRC, and the IATA by Thibodeau et al.; Air Canada; and The Office of the Commissioner of Official Language.
- October 7, 2013 – Reply of the OCLA and Dr. Lukács.
- October 18, 2013 – Order of Wagner J. dismissing motions for leave to intervene of the OCLA and Dr. Lukács, the CHRC, and the IATA.
Motion for Leave to Intervene in Supreme Court leave to appeal of Denis Rancourt v. Joanne St. Lewis, et al.
The Ontario Civil Liberties Association filed a motion for leave to intervene to the Supreme Court of Canada in the application for leave to appeal of Denis Rancourt v. Joanne St. Lewis, et al.
OCLA’s motion brought forward new evidence about the ongoing legislative debate surrounding Ontario’s proposed anti-SLAPP law, in order to address the national importance of non-party funding in a defamation lawsuit. (See OCLA’s Public Money is Not for Silencing Critics campaign for our position on non-party public funding of defamation lawsuits.)
Documents from the motion are listed and linked to below:
- February 10, 2014 – Motion for Leave to Intervene of OCLA.
- February 12, 2014 – Response of Professor Joanne St. Lewis to OCLA’s motion.
- February 13, 2014 – Response of the University of Ottawa to OCLA’s motion.
- February 20, 2014 – Response of Dr. Denis Rancourt to OCLA’s motion.
- February 25, 2014 – OCLA’s reply to the responses of the parties.
- March 6, 2014 – Supreme Court of Canada ruling on application and intervention.
Searches at cadet summer camps (National Defence)
OCLA has written to Rear Admiral Jennifer Bennet expressing concerns over blanket searches of youth participants in Canada’s cadet summer camps programs:
- June 27, 2014 – Letter from OCLA to Rear Admiral Jennifer Bennet
- July 6, 2014 – Letter from Rear Admiral Bennet to OCLA
- September 2, 2014 – Letter from Rear Admiral Bennet to OCLA
Hate speech charges against Arthur Topham
OCLA has a public campaign calling on the Attorney General of BC, The Honourable Suzanne Anton, to withdraw her consent for prosecution of Mr. Arthur Topham under Canada’s “hate speech” Criminal Code provisions. Mr. Topham is being prosecuted regarding content on his self-published internet blog.
- September 24, 2014 – Letter from OCLA to the Honourable Suzanne Anton, Attorney General of BC
- September 24, 2014 – OCLA petition to the BC Attorney General (over 1000 signatures)
- September 24, 2014 – OCLA’s public statement in defence of the civil rights of Arthur Topham
- September 30, 2014 – OCLA interviewed on Sun TV by Ezra Levant re: hate speech charges against Arthur Topham
- October 1, 2014 – Email from BC Criminal Justice Branch to OCLA
- October 2, 2014 – Letter from OCLA to the BC Attorney General
- May 24, 2015 – Letter from OCLA to PEN Canada re: PEN Canada’s improper use of “Censorship Tracker”
- November 9, 2015 – Press Release: OCLA Denounces the Hate Speech Criminal Prosecution of Arthur Topham
- January 13, 2016 – OCLA’s intervention by letter in constitutional challenge in R. v. Topham
Hate speech charges against Kevin Johnston
OCLA has launched a petition calling on the Attorney General of Ontario, The Honourable Yasir Naqvi, to withdraw his consent for prosecution of Mr. Kevin Johnston under Canada’s “hate speech” Criminal Code provisions.
- July 26, 2017 – OCLA petition to the Attorney General of Ontario
Hate speech charges against James Sears and Lawrence St. Germaine
OCLA has written to the Attorney General of Ontario, The Honourable Yasir Naqvi, asking him to withdraw his consent for prosecution of James Sears and Lawrence St. Germaine under Canada’s “hate speech” Criminal Code provisions.
- November 16, 2017 – OCLA letter to the Attorney General of Ontario