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| June 2008 | |||
| Study Launched of Travellers Caught in the Web of Government Watchlists |
Law Foundation to Fund Study |
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The BCCLA has recently received a major grant from the Law Foundation of British Columbia to undertake a major study of civilians who die or are seriously injured while in the custody of police in Canada. The BCCLA has made this issue a major focus of its law reform efforts over the last several years. Despite continued resistance from federal and provincial governments, there is growing evidence that the system of police investigating police is a broken model that has lost the public's confidence. The BCCLA hopes that a new report will force the hand of governments to overhaul a badly outdated system. The BCCLA's Executive Director Murray Mollard is the project supervisor and coordinator. A search for a principal researcher/writer for the report is currently underway. |
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BC Supreme Court Releases Decision |
BCCLA Calls for a Halt to Government’s Copyright Trade Negotiations |
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Recently leaked documents indicate that the government’s “closed-door” negotiation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will usher in sweeping police and border agent searches and confiscations of citizens’ electronic devices in the name of anti-piracy.
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| BCCLA Granted Leave to Intervene in Important Homeless Rights Case |
Canadian Officers Responsible for the Transfers of Detainees in Afghanistan Must Be Investigated | ||
At issue in the case is whether the City of Victoria’s bylaws, which prevent homeless individuals from erecting shelters to protect themselves from the elements when sleeping outside, violate the Charter rights of the homeless and Canada’s international obligations. Ron Skolrood, lawyer for the BCCLA: “Sleeping outdoors without shelter has serious adverse consequences for a person’s health and safety. Victoria’s bylaws interfere with the ability of individuals to access adequate shelter, a fundamental necessity of life.” |
The failure of the military police to investigate officers having command responsibility for directing the transfer of detainees to the Afghanistan authorities, in the face of a known risk of torture, must be examined. That is the basis for a new complaint launched with the Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) by Amnesty International Canada and the BCCLA. The action follows an earlier complaint by the groups, accepted by the MPCC, to review the conduct of members of the military police in these transfers. “The role of the military police and the responsibility of the officers in charge of these transfers must be examined,” says Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. |
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| Calling All Civil Liberties Champions... | |||
Is your annual membership up to date? Please check your membership card expiry date or contact our office. The work of the BCCLA has never been more important or as relevant as it is today. Whether we are speaking out against the BC Government’s eHealth Bill, lobbying for the Prevention of Torture Act, or participating in the Braidwood Inquiry on the use of tasers, the Association is working every day to make sure your rights and freedoms are protected and respected. |
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| Civil Liberties Update is a summary of some of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association's recent work. The Association publishes a newsletter, The Democratic Commitment, an annual report and posts its positions, submissions, legal arguments and news releases at www.bccla.org. | |||
To unsubscribe to the Update please contact us by e-mail. |
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On the first anniversary of the Canadian no-fly list coming into effect, the BCCLA joins a coalition of organizations launching an innovative research project to document the impact on citizens’ rights of the no-fly list and other watchlists. Stories have surfaced about how the growing surveillance of travellers has violated the privacy and mobility rights of Canadians, and yet publicized stories are just the tip of the iceberg. BCCLA Policy Director,
A recent decision of the BC Supreme Court held that the Criminal Justice Branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General must provide evidence in the Frank Paul inquiry concerning prosecutors’ decisions not to lay charges in connection with the death of Frank Paul. 
BCCLA President