Civil Liberties scenario in Canada
Canada’s media are free in general; journalists are mostly protected from harassment and violence in their work and express varied viewpoints. In June 2023, the federal government passed the Online News Act, requiring large tech companies to compensate media organizations when journalistic content is hosted on their platforms. As a reaction, Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, blocked users in Canada from accessing news content, limiting Canadians’ capability to share news on those platforms. But Google held talks with the federal government, and in November 2023 the two parties reached a deal in which the company promised to pay C$100 million (US$75.47 million) yearly to news organizations for sharing their content on its platforms.
Religious freedom is protected by the Canadian constitution and other legislation. However, in the year 2019, the Quebec provincial government passed Bill 21, which bars certain government employees in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols like a hijab, turban, crucifix, or kippah while at work. The list of such persons includes police officers, government lawyers, judges, and teachers. The bill has a clause letting government employees already wearing symbols to continue wearing them until they change institutions or get a promotion.
Academic freedom is respected in general. Private discussion in Canada is free and unrestricted in general. Freedom of assembly is protected under constitution and is upheld in practice in general. NGOs (Nongovernmental organizations) operate without restrictions. Trade unions and business associations are well organized and enjoy high levels of membership. Due process rights are protected under constitution and are upheld in practice in general.
The use of solitary confinement for protracted periods of time in Canada’s prisons has been quite controversial. While there have been some changes in recent years to solitary confinement laws, an advisory panel report released in May of 2021 found that the span of solitary confinement and the frequency of its use had not markedly changed. Despite sustained pressure, the federal government has not publicized plans to alter solitary confinement laws and procedures.
Governments in Canada have made considerable efforts to enforce equal rights and opportunities for minority groups, although issues persist. Black and Indigenous Canadians still remain subject to widespread discrimination, struggle with food insecurity, and have unequal access to health care, education, public services, and employment. While there has been some amount of recent progress on these issues, it has been sluggish. Government’s 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and its 2019 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls —which reached the conclusion that the history of state discrimination and oppression of Indigenous people amounted to genocide—made many recommendations to improve the lives of Canada’s Indigenous peoples.