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Protecting Religious Freedom

Regardless of what you believe or practice, and whether you subscribe to a particular set of religious beliefs or don’t, protecting freedom of religion is an important part of ensuring that all people are treated with equal dignity and respect.

Freedom of religion helps to ensure that religious minorities are not the subject of discrimination. It also protects the rights of those whose beliefs may lie with the majority.

Freedom of religion is crucial to maintaining a private sphere for individuals and communities where the government does not—and cannot—intrude.  The state should be neutral and impartial when it comes to matters of deeply-held personal beliefs

Religious Freedom in Canada is an Essential Right.

The freedom to believe and practice as we choose is closely related to core values of liberty and autonomy. Religious freedom in Canada means that there are no state-sponsored religions and that the government cannot prefer some religious beliefs or groups over others.

Similarly, religious belief cannot be preferred to non-belief.  We strive to ensure that any restrictions on freedom of religion are necessary and minimally intrusive and that our public institutions treat all individuals equally, regardless of religious affiliation.

2019 Ontario Court of Appeal Win.

Vulnerable patients, such as folk looking to get an abortion or help with assisted dying kept facing the same problem in Ontario. A doctor who religiously or morally opposed the procedure would refuse to treat the patient or refuse to give them an effective referral.

In May 2019, we went to Court to argue that physicians should be responsible for ensuring that patients receive effective referrals and the Court agreed. Failure to provide an effective referral would shame and stigmatize patients seeking a public service and would risk denying health care to vulnerable persons. “An effective referral is defined as a ‘referral made in good faith, to a non-objecting, available and accessible physician, other health-care professional, or agency,’” said the ruling.

 

While freedoms and rights often conflict, it is important to strike a balance.
Our Recent Cases and Reports

View our latest work and activity.

Bill 21

Bill 21 is a law which disproportionately impacts people who are already marginalized. New Quebec laws ban Canadians working as teachers, lawyers, police officers, and more from wearing religious symbols such as crosses, hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes. This not only affects people currently working in the public sector, but also the youth who aspire to those careers.
VIEW CASE

Bill 21

Bill 21 is a law which disproportionately impacts people who are already marginalized. New Quebec laws ban Canadians working as teachers, lawyers, police officers, and more from wearing religious symbols such as crosses, hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes. This not only affects people currently working in the public sector, but also the youth who aspire to those careers.

Our Work Protecting Religious Freedoms

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Leave to Appeal Filed at the Supreme Court of Canada on Bill 21 Case

OTTAWA — The National Council for Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and…
April 30, 2024

CCLA Calls on the Ontario Speaker to Lift His Ban on Keffiyehs

TORONTO — Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of Fundamental Freedoms for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association…
April 25, 2024

CCLA Reacts to Bill 21

MONTREAL — Today the Court of Appeal has issued a disappointing decision rejecting the constitutional challenge…
February 29, 2024

NCCM and CCLA Statement on Quebec Superior Court Decision on Prayer Ban

MONTREAL — This morning, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Canadian Civil Liberties…
June 14, 2023

NCCM and CCLA Litigating Prayer Ban

MONTREAL — The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and…
June 13, 2023

NCCM AND CCLA LAUNCH JOINT CHALLENGE TO QUEBEC GOVERNMENT’S BAN ON PRAYERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

(Montreal, Quebec)—The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and…
May 26, 2023

CCLA Reacts to Quebec Directive on Prayer Spaces in Public Schools

TORONTO — Harini Sivalingam, Lawyer and Director of the Equality Program at the Canadian Civil…
April 24, 2023

CCLA & NCCM file factum against Bill 21 in Quebec Court of Appeal

CCLA filed legal submissions against Bill 21 in the Quebec Court of Appeal. In this…
December 9, 2021

CCLA Remarks on Bill 21 Judgment by the Quebec Superior Court

Today is judgment day on Bill 21. A complex decision was handed down by the…
April 20, 2021

Whose Religious Symbols Can Shine???

In this season of darkness, the festivals of light bringing warmth and cheer may be…
December 21, 2020

CCLA Writes to BC Provincial Health Officer Regarding Religious Services

We are writing on behalf of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and the…
December 17, 2020

2020 Quebec Superior Court

Suspending Bill 21 is an urgent matter. We were before the Quebec Court of Appeal…
December 20, 2019

Seeking to Appeal Interim Decision on Bill 21

CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUPS SEEK LEAVE TO APPEAL BILL 21 DECISION NCCM & CCLA file an…
July 23, 2019

Fighting Quebec’s Religious Symbol’s Ban – As it Unfolds

CCLA is currently challenging the discriminatory religious symbols ban, Bill 21 in Quebec alongside the…
June 19, 2019

CCLA In Court: Freedom of Religion

Bill 21 Constitutional Challenge and Application for Suspension of The Law
June 17, 2019

CCLA and NCCM’s Application Regarding Quebec’s Religious Symbols Ban

Bill 21, An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State, passed in the Quebec National…
June 17, 2019

An Even Bigger Victory for Equality, Abortion, and the Rights of Vulnerable Patients

The Court of Appeal for Ontario has ruled in favour of vulnerable patients and their…
May 15, 2019

Access to Abortion, Dying with Dignity, and More Upheld by Ontario Court of Appeal

Doctors in Ontario will not be required to personally perform abortions, medical assistance in dying,…
May 15, 2019

CCLA & NCCM Successfully Obtain Renewed Stay Against Quebec’s Bill 62

The CCLA and the NCCM, two prominent civil liberties & advocacy organizations, have successfully obtained…
June 29, 2018

LGBTQ+ and Gender Equality Triumph: TWU v LSUC

LGBTQ+ and gender equality prevailed today, consistent with CCLA’s position, before the Supreme Court of Canada.
June 15, 2018

Bill 62 (Niqab Ban) Guidelines Cannot Save An Unconstitutional…

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) will challenge the Government of Nova Scotia’s exceptionally broad injunction limiting…
May 11, 2018

CCLA at Supreme Court in Trinity Western Case – Hearing This Week

TORONTO, Ont. – This week- on November 30th and December 1st – the Canadian Civil…
November 29, 2017

CCLA and NCCM Launch Legal Challenge Against Quebec’s Bill 62

(Montreal – November 7, 2017) – The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and the National…
November 7, 2017

CCLA in The Supreme Court: Freedom of Religion

Bill 62 Application for Judicial Review (Declaration of Invalidity) and Application for an Interim Stay
November 3, 2017

Quebec Bill 62 Infringes on Freedom of Religion and Equality

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) will challenge the Government of Nova Scotia’s exceptionally broad injunction limiting…
October 17, 2017

How Religious Teachings in Public Schools Violates Human Rights: Joint Presentation Before Argentina’s Supreme Court

On Wednesday, August 30, the Argentine Supreme Court held a public hearing on the constitutionality…
August 30, 2017