Protecting Civil Liberties
We are committed to justice at all levels. We challenge discriminatory laws like Bill 21, defend humanitarian aid like UNRWA, and ensure judicial accountability.
Our team also supports the community by helping families through hate-motivated attacks, addressing CSIS's whistleblower treatment, and fighting the far-right People's Party of Canada for defamation.
REPORT AN INCIDENT
If you have experienced or witnessed an incident of hate or injustice, let us know. Report here, and we will take care of the rest.
I Need Legal Help. What’s My Next Step?
We work with government bodies and public sector organizations that are looking for help at building safe and respectful workplaces.
Do I Have To Pay For Legal Support?
NCCM’s legal support program is supported by our donors, and that way, we can support anyone targeted by Islamophobia without them having to pay a massive legal bill.
What Kind Of Track Record Does NCCM Have In Courts?
NCCM’s legal team has successfully struck down government policies, had clients get their lives back after employment discrimination issues, and helped clients being unfairly targeted by national security agencies.
CASE STUDY
WE DEFEATED BILL 62
NCCM and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) successfully defeated Quebec’s Bill 62 in December 2017.
This law, passed on October 18, 2017, stated that people needed to show their faces to receive government services. This particularly affected Muslim women who wear face coverings like burqas or niqabs.
The NCCM and CCLA took this case to court. In court, we argued that forcing people to show their faces for basic services went against the freedom of religion protected by the Canadian and Quebec Charters. The Quebec Superior Court agreed and temporarily blocked the law.
Although Bill 62 was defeated, a similar law, Bill 21, has since been introduced. Our team is working hard to fight Bill 21 at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Fighting on Behalf of Canadian Muslims
When Canadian Muslims face discrimination, we fight back. Whether it’s Islamophobic workplace policies, unjust detainments, or schools failing to accommodate religious practices, our legal team is ready to step in.
Holding Racists to Account
Islamophobes and hate-mongers have no place in Canada. That’s why we intervened in the case against Kevin J. Johnston when he spread hateful and violent rhetoric against Canadian Muslims. Our legal team played a key role in holding him accountable, ensuring that those who incite hate face real consequences. We also took legal action against the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) after a local activist in Winnipeg was defamed, making it clear that political actors must be held responsible for their words and actions.
Fighting Cases Against Bad Policy
Discriminatory laws and policies threaten the rights of Canadian Muslims every day. Whether it’s unfair travel bans, racial profiling, or government policies that disproportionately target Muslims, we take legal action to challenge and overturn unjust regulations. Our legal work extends beyond individual cases—we advocate for systemic change to ensure that bad policies don’t just get repealed, but that they are never put in place again.
OUR SUPREME COURT CASES
Bill 21 (Ongoing)
We help corporations and private sector clients that want to get beyond a one-off checkmark activity. Employer accounts are easy to set up and tailored to your needs to provide a high quality impactful product that helps train employees to challenge Islamophobia, racism, and all forms of hate. They include appropriate pricing packages and make it easy to order and distribute training, track progress, and create appropriate training reports.
R V Bissonnette
We work with government bodies and public sector organizations that are looking for help at building safe and respectful workplaces.
R. V. N.S., 2012 Scc 72
What role does anti-racism play in shaping the teaching profession? How can educators help students engage thoughtfully with complex issues like emergency powers, DEI, and free speech? Where do we set the boundaries on religious freedoms? How do we navigate the tension between free speech and hate speech in the classroom? Avoiding these discussions sends one message—opening them sends another. How do we create a space where debate is both meaningful and respectful?
Charkaoui V. Canada (Citizenship And Immigration), [2007]
1 S.C.R. 350, 2007 Scc 9
1 S.C.R. 350, 2007 Scc 9
What role does anti-racism play in shaping the teaching profession? How can educators help students engage thoughtfully with complex issues like emergency powers, DEI, and free speech? Where do we set the boundaries on religious freedoms? How do we navigate the tension between free speech and hate speech in the classroom? Avoiding these discussions sends one message—opening them sends another. How do we create a space where debate is both meaningful and respectful?
R V Campbell
We help corporations and private sector clients that want to get beyond a one-off checkmark activity. Employer accounts are easy to set up and tailored to your needs to provide a high quality impactful product that helps train employees to challenge Islamophobia, racism, and all forms of hate. They include appropriate pricing packages and make it easy to order and distribute training, track progress, and create appropriate training reports.
Canada (Citizenship And Immigration) V. Harkat, 2014 Scc 37
We work with government bodies and public sector organizations that are looking for help at building safe and respectful workplaces.
Quebec (Commission Des Droits De La Personne Et Des Droits De La Jeunesse) V. Bombardier Inc. (Bombardier Aerospace Training Center)
What role does anti-racism play in shaping the teaching profession? How can educators help students engage thoughtfully with complex issues like emergency powers, DEI, and free speech? Where do we set the boundaries on religious freedoms? How do we navigate the tension between free speech and hate speech in the classroom? Avoiding these discussions sends one message—opening them sends another. How do we create a space where debate is both meaningful and respectful?
WE STAND AGAINST HATE AND PROTECT CIVIL LIBERTIES BY...
- Public Interest Litigation
Over the years, NCCM has led some of the most critical legal battles in Canada—from challenging discriminatory laws like Bill 21, to defending humanitarian aid organizations like UNRWA, to holding judges accountable, like in the Rania El-Alloul case. - Defend the civil liberties of our communities in the courts
From helping the families of the London terror attack and the Quebec City Mosque attack, to taking on CSIS over its treatment of whistleblowers, to suing the far-right People’s Party of Canada for defamation, we fight for justice at every level. - Coordinating a Movement of Lawyers
For lawyers and law students who want to give back to Canada on some of the most important civil liberties battles of our time, join the fight.
OUR IMPACT
OUR CASES
Hillel Case
It was revealed that the stickers were made by a former employee at Hillel BC.
We helped the Social Justice Centre pursue legal action after the stickers led to various cases of harassment against advocates associated with the Centre who have spoken out on Palestinian human rights.
UNWRA
Funding has since been successfully restored and we are ready to show up in court to fight any future attempts to stop or suspend funding to UNRWA.
Kaffala Ban
Such a ban falsely stipulates that the Islamic principle of guardianship (kafala) can not serve as the basis for adoption.
This is a discriminatory and inhumane directive that prevents fair adoptions from taking place and we will continue to fight against it in court.