News
Inter-American Commission Releases Report
- Disappeared and Murdered Indigenous Women in British Columbia, Canada. See thebackground of CURA research parnter FAFIA's role.
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- Court of Appeal Decision Released in Homelessness Challenge. Homeless peoples' rigjts to life, security and equality declared "non-justiciable" because violations are combined effect of a range of policies and progams. Justice Feldman dissents.
Martha Jackman has been awarded the prestigious CBA Touchstones Award for her advocacy for equality
Lucie Lamarche admitted to the Royal Society of Canada.
New CURA Book: Advancing Social Rights in Canada now published and available at Irwin Law.
Right to Housing Charter challenge - Tanudjaja, CERA et al. v Canada and Ontario
Motion to Dismiss was Considered by Court of Appeal for Ontario May 26-28, 2014.
Motions for Leave to Intervene were heard March 28th.
Read More on AGs Motion to Dismiss
Shelagh Day, Lucie Lamarche, Ken Norman, (eds) 14 Arguments In Favour of Human Rights Institutions (Toronto: Irwin Law, 2014)
Social Rights in South Africa and Canada: A Conversation with Justice Zak Yacoob of the Constitutional Court of South Africa
Canada Without Poverty, the Social Rights Advocacy Centre and the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation hosted an informal discussion between Justice Zak Yacoob of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and social rights advocates in Ontario on February 15, 2013.
See the new video Here
La Ligue releases Report on the state of human rights in Quebec and Canada (in French)
See PDF Here
Two CURA Researchers receive prestigious honour:
On June 13th. Leilani Farha received the Spirit of Barbra Schlifer Award and Sharon McIvor received an Honourary Doctor of Laws from the University of Victoria. Congratulartions to Leilani and Sharon!
NGOs file submissions to OHCHR for Canada's Second Universal Periodic Review
On April 26, 2013 Canada’s human rights record as a whole was again assessed by the UN Human Rights Council under the Universal Periodic Review procedure. This is Canada's second Universal Periodic Review. NGO submissions for Canada's Second UPR were submitted on October 9, 2012.
See submissions and read more here.
Right to Housing Charter challenge
Hearing into AGs Motion to Dismiss historic Right to Housing Charter challenge was held May 27-29, 2013. Charter Committee Coalition and Amnesty International - ESCR-Net Coalitions intervene. Read More about the Motion to Dismiss.
CURA Researcher Travels to Mongolia for Workshop
CURA researcher Bruce Porter, along with ESCR-Net's Daniela Ikawa and Jackie Dugard from the Social and Economic Rights Institute and Christian Courtis from OHCHR met with litigators and human rights advocates in Mongolia. A three day workshop was held to discuss strategic litigation in Mongolia on social rights and possible uses of the Optional Protocol to the ICESCR, which Mongolia has ratified and which is now in force. For more information on this international work in adjudication, litigation and enforcement of social rights, click here.
Meeting with Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food on Governance and Social Rights Compliance
Supreme Court Denies Leave Application in Undocumented Migrants Right to Healthcare Case
Read the Application for Leave to Appeal
Once again the Supreme Court of Canada has denied leave in a critical Charter case involving impoverished and marginalized groups. This decision is particularly disturbing, as the Federal Court of Appeal decision in the case had shocked the international community by ruling that denying undocumented migrants access to healthcare necessary for the protection of their lives is not unconstitutional in Canada. While the Court recognized that the Federal Government's policy violates the right to life under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it found that the violation of the right to life and health of undocumented migrants is consistent with "principles of fundamental justice". Read more.
NWAC and FAFIA Brief the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls
The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) and the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) provided a thematic briefing to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on March 28, 2012 in Washington D.C. on the disappearances and murders of Aboriginal women and girls in British Columbia, Canada. The one-hour briefing included presentations by NWAC and FAFIA, response by representatives of Canada (Justice, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada), and questions from the Commissioners.
The Commissioners present at the briefing were: Tracy Robinson, Chair of the Commission and Rapporteur on the Rights of Women, Dinah Shelton, Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Rosemary Antoine, Rapporteur for Canada, and for Social and Economic Rights.
Civil Society Groups organize in Advance of Mission to Canada of UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food in May, 2012.
Brief to UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
Read more on the Special Rapporteur's Mission and How to Get Involved
Canadian Council on Disability files Intervener factum at the Supreme Court of Canada in Moore.
The intervention addresses comparator groups, duty to accommodate, substantive equality, social construction of disability and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. CURA researcher Gwen Brodsky, counsel for CCD. Unfortunately, CCD and other equality seeking groups have been denied leave to make oral argument
‘Human Rights Impact Assessent Videoconference Series’
Series launched at Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa.
Housing Justice Project launched in Vancouver.
Research will address housing justice in Vancouver through public engagement, policy development, and legal rights advocacy. Co-principal investigators Penny Gurstein, director of UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning and Margot Young, associate professor of Law at UBC
Case on Discrimination on the Ground of Poverty and Access to Justice Denied Leave by Supreme Court
New article on Accommodation in the 21st Century
CURA researchers Gwen Brodsky, Shelagh Day and Yvonne Peters co-authors in a collaborative project of the Poverty and Human Rights Centre, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Supreme Court denies Application for Leave in Poverty as Analgous Ground Case
Nell Toussaint appealed constitutional ruling of the Federal Court of Appeal finding that poverty and receipt of social assistance not prohibited grounds of discrimination and that the constitutional principle of the rule of law and access to justice applies only to courts and not to administrative bodies.
New Webinar series on ‘The International Initiative to Promote Women’s Right to Social Security and Protection’.
CURA hosts Symposium on Social Rights Practice in Ottawa.
Draft papers presented for publication in a forthcoming book on Social Rights Practice in Canada.
Expert affidavits served in historic Right to Housing Charter challenge.
Charter challenge demands that federal and provincial governments adopt and implement effective strategies to eliminate homelessness and protect the right to adequate housing, as recommended by UN human rights bodies, experts and parliamentary committees.
Sharon McIvor case now at the U.N Human Rights Committee.
Petition to the Human Rights Committee follows in footsteps of Sandra Lovelace petition.
See more on the McIvor petiton here