The B.C. Civil Liberties Association receives well over 2,000 calls each year from members
of the public who request assistance. Given our limited resources, we are able to accept only a small percentage of these as cases. Read our case acceptance policy.
Although the Association does provide some services to complainants, we often refer people to other organizations. For information about organizations that may be able to answer your questions, consult The Red Book, a directory of Vancouver area services and organizations.
Information about Legal Aid is available from the Legal Services Society.
Government Agencies that may be able to help:
The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP is an independent body,
not part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The mandate of the Commission is
set out in the RCMP Act. Its main activities are:
- receiving complaints from the public
- reviewing the RCMP disposition of complaints when asked by a complainant to do so, and
- conducting investigations and hearings.
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner of British Columbia investigates complaints
against municipal (non-RCMP) police forces.
The Office of the Ombudsman receives inquiries and complaints about the practices and services
provided by provincial public bodies. The Ombudsman can investigate to determine if the
public body is being fair to the people it serves.
The provincial Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner hears complaints about
the use of information by provincial government agencies.
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is a specialist ombudsman, appointed by and
accountable to Parliament, who monitors the federal government's collection, use and disclosure of its clients and employees' personal information and its handling of
individuals' requests to see their records.
