Rights Associations are organizations dedicated to realizing the aspirations of the modern human rights movement. Rights associations differ from, for instance, women or gay rights groups, in several critical ways.  Rights associations are self-identified ‘civil liberties’ or ‘human rights’ associations (e.g., Alberta Human Rights Association or the Nova Scotia Civil Liberties Association).  Unlike organizations dedicated to defending women or homosexuals (or children, prisoners, African-Canadians, etc...), rights associations do not claim to speak on behalf of a specific constituency but seek to defend the rights of all citizens.  Each one is fervently non-partisan; the preservation of human rights, and not political power, is their only goal. Only a handful of rights associations had been active in Candaa before 1960.  However, by the 1970s, more than forty rights associations had emerged, at least one in each province.

The following primary documents are related to the activities of rights associations since the 1930s.

Please return to this page at a future date as more documents are added over time.

General

• Speech by John Humphrey to the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, 1949.
  • John Humphrey was a key figure in the international human rights movement. He drafted the original version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and was active in various human rights organizations. In this speech, he discusses his views on the international human rights movement and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• 'Canada's Need for a Bill of Rights', by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, n.d. (1.6MB)
  • Jehovah's Witnesses (Watchtower Society) were possibly the most persecuted minority in Canadian history. In Quebec they were vilified by the autocratic Premier Maurice Duplessis (1930s-1950s). The following is a booklet, published by the Society, explaining why Canada needs a Bill of Rights.

Rights Associations, 1930s to 1950s

• Constitution of the University of British Columbia Civil Liberties Union
• 1940, Civil Liberties Association of Toronto, newspaper advertisement decrying the government's decision to seize the property of Ukrainian organizations.
• 9 May 1946, Letter to Liberal Senator Arthur Roebuck inviting him to address the founding meeting of the Ottawa Civil Liberties Association.
• 15 May 1946, Speech by Arthur Roebuck to the founding meeting of the Ottawa Civil Liberties Association.
• 1946, Minutes of an exploratory conference among civil liberties groups in Canada. (1.4MB)
• January 1947, Speech by Liberal Senator Arthur Roebuck to a civil liberties rally in Toronto (includes speakers' guide).
• February 1947, Letter from the Civil Rights Union to Justice Minister J. L. Ilsley calling for the creation of a federal Bill of Rights. The correspondence includes his response.
• June 1948, A detailed study by the Ottawa Civil Liberties Association on the rights of public servants.
• 1950, Association for Civil Liberties brief to the federal Special Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
• 1950, Personal hand-written notes of Arthur Roebuck on a proposed Bill of Rights being debated by the Special Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Roebuck chaired the committee).

Rights Associations, 1960s to present

• B.C. Civil Liberties Association - Constitution
• Canadian Civil Liberties Association - Constitution
• Canadian Federation of Civil Liberties and Human Rights Associations - Constitution
• Ligue des droits de l'homme - Constitution
• Newfoundland-Labrador Human Rights Association - Constitution
• Saskatchewan Human Rights Association - Constitution

• RCMP internal memorandum on the formation of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in 1964.
• A summary of key initiates by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in the sixties and seventies.
• The Ligue des droit de l'homme's position paper on Quebec government's controversial Bill 22 in 1974 on the French language.
• Complete list of briefs and court cases (intervener) involving the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (1960s to 1990s).
• Summary of key cases/complaints involving the Newfoundland-Labrador Human Rights Association in 1977-8.
• Human rights survey in Newfoundland, 1976.

• Censorship in British Columbia: A summary of the BEARD case.
• RCMP wrongdoings (1970s): An open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
• Capital Punishment: A petition from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
• Hate Crimes: Many (but certainly not all) human rights groups supported the federal government's decision in the late 1960s to add a section to the Criminal Code on hate crimes. The following documents, which were distributed in Toronto and Oshawa (ON) in the sixties, spurred many activists to support the criminalization of hate speech.

• Canadian Labour Congress: Statement on Human Rights (1968)