The
B.C. Civil Liberties Association was established in 1962 and is the oldest and
most active
civil liberties group in Canada. We are funded by the Law Foundation
of B.C. and by citizens
who believe in what we do.
For more
information about what we've accomplished in the forty years since our
Association
began protecting the rights of B.C. citizens, read:
We
are a group of citizens who volunteer our energy and talents to fulfill our mandate:
to preserve, defend, maintain and extend civil liberties and human rights
in British
Columbia and across Canada.
Civil liberties are the rights and freedoms that all citizens enjoy in a democratic
society.
Citizens in a democracy are sovereign and the state is the instrument
we use to govern
ourselves. Our rights and freedoms flow from our sovereign
status, and from the fact that
we are subject to the laws we enact to regulate
our own behaviour.
In today's democracy, our civil liberties may be
threatened not only by the state, but
also by powerful private organizations
and employers. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association
works to protect citizens
from both government and private sector intrusions into our lives.
The
BCCLA is an autonomous, non-partisan charitable society. Though we strive to work
cooperatively with other groups on common causes, we are unaffiliated with
any other
organization or political group including the Toronto-based Canadian
Civil Liberties
Association. Our independence has been one of the BCCLA's
enduring strengths for
over 40 years.
When we see civil liberties being threatened or violated, we take
action:
AS A WATCHDOG
We are the primary non-government group
in B.C. monitoring the police and other
government agencies' response to
allegations of misconduct.
AS A LOBBYIST
The BCCLA regularly meets with government officials on
issues with civil liberties
implications. We are regularly asked to comment
on draft policy and legislation,
and appear before government commissions.
AS AN EDUCATOR
We publish and distribute a quarterly journal and handbooks and briefs on many topics.
AS AN ADVOCATE
When all else fails, the BCCLA stands poised to challenge
laws in the courts.
Over the years we have attracted the legal talents and
marshalled the resources to
do this—for example, in the ongoing censorship
case of Little Sister's gay and lesbian
bookstore against Canada
Customs.
AS A COMMUNITY RESOURCE
We provide direct assistance to individuals who have complaints
about civil liberties
violations by government, employers
or other organizations.
We do all this at no charge to the public.
There are three problems we face:
First,
not all the rights and freedoms which Canadians expect are actually the law
in Canada. For example, we have very few legal rights to privacy and freedom of
expression. Our governments still censor books, magazines, films and videos—and
now want to censor the Internet.
Second,
if our courts are to reach decisions which protect civil rights and freedoms,
they must hear the arguments of people like ourselves who believe in true, pluralistic
democracy.
Third,
and perhaps most important, what our laws say and reality may be very different.
For example, women continue to face serious difficulties in getting equal
treatment in our
legal system.
Key Supporters
of the BCCLA |
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