In defence of principles : NGOs and human rights in Canada / Andrew S. Thompson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thompson, Andrew S. (Andrew Stuart), 1975-

Series:

Law and society series (Vancouver, B.C.)

Law and society series, 1496-4953

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Canada. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms--Cases.

Canada.

Civil rights--Canada--Cases.

Civil rights.

Non-governmental organizations--Canada--Case studies.

Non-governmental organizations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (224 p.)

Other Title:

Non-governmental organizations and human rights in Canada

Place of Publication:

Vancouver : UBC Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Since 9/11 and the onset of the "war on terror," the principal challenge confronting liberal democracies has been to balance freedom with security and individual with collective rights. In Defence of Principles sheds new light on the evolution of human rights norms in liberal democracies by charting the activism of four Canadian NGOs on issues of refugee rights, hate speech, and the death penalty, including their use of difficult, often controversial legal cases as platforms to assert human rights principles and shape judicial policy-making. Although human rights principles are often spoken of in absolute terms, this book reminds us that they are never certain � even in countries that have a vibrant civil society, a long tradition of rule of law, and a judiciary that possesses the constitutional authority to engage in judicial review. The struggles of these NGOs reveal not only the fragility but also the resilience of ideas about rights in liberal democracies.

Contents:

My brother's keeper : The Canadian Council of Churches and the rights of refugees

The "misuse" of freedom? The Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and the limits of expression

Shocking the conscience? Amnesty International Canada and the abolition of the death penalty

Conclusion : principles in the age of rights.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613335678

0-7748-1863-8

1-283-33567-0

OCLC:

767866632