Commentary On June 29, the United States Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, struck down affirmative action in university and college admissions, ruling it unconstitutional to use racial preferences in their admissions decisions. “The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual – not on the basis of race,” wrote…

The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear a challenge of legislation that allows account information held by Canadian financial institutions to be shared with U.S. authorities. The case began when two U.S.-born women who now live in Canada contested the Canadian provisions implementing a 2014 agreement between the two countries that made the information-sharing…

News Analysis Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to appoint a new judge to the Supreme Court of Canada, an institution that has considerable power over policy compared to elected officials—and for much longer, say policy experts. “The Supreme Court has a veto power over provincial governments, and it has the same veto power over…

A pact with the United States to control the flow of asylum seekers across the shared border is constitutional, Canada’s highest courtruled in a unanimous decision Friday. The Safe Third Country Agreement, which came into effect in 2004, recognizes Canada and the U.S. as safe places for potential refugees to seek protection. Under the agreement,…

Two opposition party leaders have now met to discuss the next steps for how the Liberal government should tackle the issue of foreign interference. A spokesman for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed he met Tuesday with Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet. A spokesperson for the Bloc said it was Poilievre’s office that reached out for…

Justice Russell Brown is retiring from the Supreme Court of Canada effective immediately, ending a probe into alleged misconduct. The Canadian Judicial Council, the body tasked with disciplining judges, says it no longer has jurisdiction to continue investigating allegations of misconduct stemming from an event at an Arizona hotel in January. Brown has vigorously denied…

The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the case of a woman removed from a high-priority organ transplant list for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announced on June 8. “Ms. Lewis is deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court of Canada decided not to hear her case,” said…

A focused, unified effort is required to restore Canada’s democracy, former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Brian Peckford told attendees at a citizens’ conference in B.C.’s capital city. Peckford made his comments in a keynote address at the Reclaiming Canada Conference hosted in Victoria May 26 to 28 by the group We Unify. “The most successful…

The Quebec Court of Appeal has cut a decade from the time a man convicted of ordering a series of killings must serve before being eligible for parole. Benjamin Hudon-Barbeau was handed a life sentence with no chance of parole for 35 years in November 2018 after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder, second-degree…

A bill that aims to enshrine a francophone immigration program into law is heading to the Senate after clearing the House of Commons. Bill C-13 would modernize the Official Languages Act and recognize that French is the only official language in Canada that is under threat and therefore must be protected within federal workplaces. The…