Articles 2022

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities serves as a potent reminder of disability inclusion every year, but workplace inclusion for people with disabilities remains as bleak as ever. Lorin MacDonald provides ten tips for disability allies to advance the agenda of workplace inclusion and accessibility.

Samantha Peters interviews Nikisha Thapar, a third-year law student at Western University Faculty of Law, about the OHRC's decision to recognize Caste-Based Discrimination.

Section Vice-Chair, Lorin MacDonald advocates for mandatory human rights education for the legal profession in Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Read an excerpt here.

There is a proliferation of news reports of people with disabilities considering medical assistance in dying (MAiD). As a human rights lawyer, a disability advocate, and a woman born with a disability, I find these trends troubling. I believe MAiD is the outcome of Hobson’s choice, which refers to the illusion that multiple options are available. In a “take it or leave it” scenario, “leaving it” is no longer tenable for many Canadians with disabilities, given today’s climate.

The new Canadian Association of Lawyers with Disabilities aims for better inclusion.

The author explains why, in his view, Canada is overdue for a robust public debate about the circumstances in which using the notwithstanding clause is legitimate.

Exploring the decision in Gladue and its applicability to Section 7 of the Charter.

Discussing the recent and forthcoming measures on modern slavery in Canada, including: the impact of the Canadian-United States-Mexico Agreement (“CUSMA”); Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mandate letter to Canada’s Minister of Labour; and the development and status of Canada’s modern slavery legislation.

The 20th Annual Charter of Rights and Freedoms Conference hosted by the Constitutional Civil Liberties and Human Rights (“CCLHR”) Section of the Ontario Bar Association (“OBA”) took place on October 5, 2021 via webcast. This article summarizes the Conference’s Year in Review presentation, the four panel discussions, and the Keynote Address.

In the context of third-party political advertising restrictions, Melanie Zetusian provides an in-depth analysis of the ONSC decision in Working Families Ontario v. Ontario, where the Applicants challenged the constitutionality of the amendments made by the Ontario legislature via the Protecting Ontario Elections Act, 2021.