Source: flickr/Geoff Livingston

By Myrna El Fakhry Tuttle

Reposted from LawNow 45(2) with permission

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in September 2020 at the age of 87, and the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States, where she can serve for decades, prompted me to write this article.

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30484128@N03/

By Linda McKay-Panos

Reposted from LawNow 45(2) with permission

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the entire world, many governments have passed legislation requiring that face masks be worn in many public locations. This has resulted in claims that the mask requirements violate civil liberties. At the same time, there have been some incidents of individuals being confronted for not wearing masks, yet they have a legitimate exemption from the mask requirements.

Source: flickr/Iren V

By Linda McKay-Panos

Reposted from LawNow 45(1) with permission

Recently, anti-racism has received extensive media coverage. Instead of addressing what can be done about it, there has been much discussion about whether racism—particularly systemic racism—exists in Canada, and apparent confusion about the meaning of important terms.

Source: flickr/dmbosstone

By Myrna El Fakhry Tuttle

Reposted from LawNow 45(1) with permission

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 – an infectious disease caused by a new coronavirus – a global pandemic. With no vaccines or treatments to control the disease, the WHO asked governments “to take urgent and aggressive action to stop the spread of the virus”.

Source: flickr/robin_ottawa

By Boritse Mene

The blockage of railways and roads during protests earlier this year influenced the introduction of Bill 1—The Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, SA 2020, c C-32.7 (CIDA) by the Alberta government. Despite months of criticism, the Bill came into force on June 17, 2020.

Source: flickr/Mike Gifford

By Linda McKay-Panos

Reposted from LawNow 44(6) with permission

Generally, when talking about the situation in Canada, the emphasis is on the prevalence of systemic discrimination —policies or practices that are part of an organization, which perpetuate disadvantage. This is pervasive in Canada and difficult to address because it is reinforced by acceptance as the “normal” way of doing things.