*How far should institutions go to accommodate religion?

The Current (CBC): York University is grappling with a question of equality, after a student says he didn't want to be in a study group with women because of his religious beliefs. Is there a hierarchy when it comes to human rights?

CCLA's Fundamental Freedoms Program Director Cara Zwibel participates in this panel discussion. Download a podcast of the discussion here. 

Montreal Gazette: At some point in our lives, most of us will have an interaction with a police officer.

 

Whether it involves being pulled over for rolling through a stop sign or being warned to stay on the sidewalk during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, most of these interactions are brief and polite. But sometimes, a citizen will have a run-in with a cop that - for one reason or another - degenerates into something drawn out and downright ugly.

 

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According to Abby Deshman of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, educating the public is important, but the onus remains on the police officer to respect the rights of citizens and to behave in a professional manner, especially when the person they are dealing with is mentally ill.

 

"It's really the police who have more responsibility than the general public," she said. "They are the ones with the legal obligations."

 

While it's always preferable (although not necessary) to be polite, both Duval and Deshman stressed that a citizen is never under any obligation to answer police questions, even if they are being detained or arrested. In some circumstances like the issuing of a ticket, however, you must provide your name and address for official records. Under Canadian law, you can be charged with obstruction if you lie to police, refuse to produce your licence and registration after a traffic stop, resist arrest, or cause such a disturbance that the cops can't do their jobs properly.

Ottawa Citizen: A potential major blow to Canadian global commerce looms under proposed European legislation curbing the transfer of personal data to Canada and other countries involved with the unprecedented U.S.-led cyber-surveillance of the world's citizens.

 

A 52-page draft report by an influential European parliamentary committee, obtained by the Citizen, calls on the European Commission to review whether the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) adequately protects Europeans' personal data exchanged under Canada-European Union commerce and trade.

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It denounces Canada, too. "The national security agencies of New Zealand and Canada have been involved on a large scale in mass surveillance of electronic communications and may have actively co-operated with the U.S. under the so-called Five Eyes program, and may have exchanged with each other personal data of EU citizens transferred from the EU."

 

The "revelations seriously affect trust in the legal systems of (Canada and New Zealand) as regards the continuity of protection afforded to EU citizens."

Journal de Montr�al: Les autorit�s fran�aises ont annonc� des mesures afin de faire interdire les spectacles de l'humoriste Dieudonn�. Celui-ci conteste cette interdiction devant les tribunaux. Plusieurs experts qui ont analys� les propos tenus lors de ces spectacles estiment qu'il est carr�ment raciste. Mais il est loin d'�tre �vident que les mesures d'interdiction a priori des spectacles de l'humoriste seront jug�es valides par les tribunaux.

 

L'une des questions qui seront probablement pos�es aux tribunaux fran�ais est celle de la validit� de l'interdit pr�ventif, de la censure pr�alable.

 

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Une distinction semblable est faite par la Cour supr�me du Canada. Dans une d�cision rendue en f�vrier 2013 au sujet des dispositions des lois sur les droits de la personne punissant le propos d�nigrant et le propos qui porte � la haine, la Cour explique que � les formes d'expression qui critiquent et qui cultivent l'humour au d�triment d'autres personnes peuvent �tre d�nigrantes au point de devenir r�pugnantes. Les propos qui rabaissent un groupe minoritaire ou qui portent atteinte � sa dignit� par des blagues, des railleries ou des injures peuvent �tre blessantes.�