First Freedoms
A not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing freedom for all Canadians through public advocacy and litigation
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Part 1: Lack of Religious Freedom in Canada – Interview with Pastor Henry Hildebrandt
Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ In March of 2020, Canadian government officials were announcing to Canadians that two weeks would be needed to flatten the COVID curve. This sounded...
Part Two: Lack of Free Speech in Canada – Interview with Frances Widdowson
Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Last week, in part 1 of her interview with Barry, Frances spoke about actions and ideas that led to her being fired by her long-term employer, Mount Royal...
Part One: Lack of Free Speech in Canada – Interview with Frances Widdowson
Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ In 2021, Frances Widdowson, PhD, was a professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Her specialty was governmental indigenous policy. At around the...
First Freedoms
Justice Ivan Rand, in a 1953 Supreme Court of Canada case involving religious freedom in Quebec, described “freedom of speech, religion and the inviolability of the person” as “original freedoms which are at once the necessary attributes and modes of self-expression of human beings and the primary conditions of their community life within a legal order.” We refer to these “original freedoms” as “first freedoms” (with the view that freedom of religion is a subset of freedom of conscience).
Freedom First
These freedoms are inherent and inalienable. They exist prior to the state. They can be recognized (or violated) by governments but they are not created through legislation or constitutions.
They are foundational. Other rights build on these freedoms. A functioning liberal democracy depends on free speech, freedom of conscience and religion, and respect for the inviolability of the person.
Justice and civil peace rest on the equal dignity and freedom of every human being, regardless of status, ability, political affiliation, race, age, sexuality, or creed.
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Depending on the situation, we are prepared to offer resources and provide legal support to those in need.
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Featured Initiatives
Part Two: Age of Nihilism – Interview with Curtis McManus
Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ This is part two of a two-part interview with Curtis McManus, an author Curtis McManus, who skillfully navigates the complexities of our modern age. As we delve...
Canadian Journal of First Freedoms: Call for Papers
In 1968, then-Minister of Justice Pierre Trudeau opined that “A constitutional bill of rights in Canada would guarantee the fundamental freedoms of the individual from interference, whether federal or provincial. It would as well...
Utopian Danger: Freedom Feature with Dr. Ryan Alford
Dr. Ryan Alford, Professor at the Bora Laskin School of Law, Lakehead University, joins Dr. Bussey for a remarkable Freedom Feature discussion, recorded on February 23. Author of Seven Absolute Rights: Recovering the Historical Foundations of Canada's Rule of Law...
Legal Cases:
Case Comment: Aga v. Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (2021)
The Supreme Court Got It Right in Extending The Wall Barry W. Bussey (note that an abbreviated version of this case comment was previously published by The Lawyer's Daily) In free and democratic societies, membership in a religious community is premised on freedom:...
Case Comment: Trinity Western University (2018)
Law Matters but Politics Matter More: The Supreme Court of Canada and Trinity Western University The following case comment was originally published in the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 2018 7(3) Barry W. Bussey[1] The law on religious accommodation in Canada has...
Case Comment: Loyola High School (2015)
The following is extracted from my chapter "Human Dignity Found in Religious Community," in The Inherence of Human Dignity Vol. 2: Law and Religious Liberty, edited by Barry W. Bussey and Angus J. L. Menuge (Anthem Press, 2021). In 2008 the province of Quebec...
Featured Upcoming Events:
Garden Party – Register Through Eventbrite Today!
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/garden-party-tickets-682297810117?aff=oddtdtcreator Join us for an afternoon of great conversation, fellowship, learning, and inspiration. We are privileged to introduce our special guest speaker, Pilot Greg Hill, of Free to...
2022 Diefenbaker Lecture: A Free Society Makes Constitutional Rights Meaningful
Thursday, November 10, 2022, 7:00 pm St. Peter's St. Paul's Anglican Church, 152 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa Augustine College and First Freedoms are pleased to announce the 2022 Weston-Diefenbaker lecture titled A Free Society Makes Constitutional Rights Meaningful by...
Diefenbaker Freedom Lecture
A Free Society Makes Constitutional Rights Meaningful Professor Ryan Alford November 10, 2022, at 7:00pm at St. Peter's St. Paul's Anglican Church, 152 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa. Augustine College and First Freedoms are pleased to announce the 2022 Weston-Diefenbaker...
Publications:
Part One: Lost A Lot For Conscience – Interview with Jason Kurz
Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ In this captivating two-part interview, we dive into the life of Jason Kurz, a skilled electrician with exceptional expertise in nuclear-generating power....
Academic Freedom & Scholarship – Interview with Mark Mercer
Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Mark Mercer is a dedicated member of the Society of Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS), an organization with a 31-year history of advocating for...
The Government’s Three-Pronged Approach to Censor Us
In rapid succession the government is racking up legislation to enforce its view of the world on the Canadian population. Law Professor Michael Geist recently wrote that this current government “has become the most anti-Internet government in Canadian...
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Our Top Priorities
The original freedoms are inherent and inalienable. Other rights build on these freedoms. A peaceful and prosperous liberal democracy depends on free speech, freedom of conscience and religion, and respect for the inviolability of the person.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
“Freedom in thought and speech and disagreement in ideas and beliefs, on every conceivable subject, are of the essence of our life.” (Justice Rand)
FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE
“An emphasis on individual conscience and individual judgment also lies at the heart of our democratic political tradition” (Justice Dickson)
Inviolability of the Person
“Freedom must surely be founded in respect for the inherent dignity and the inviolable rights of the human person” (Justice Dickson)
“Freedom of conscience is the cornerstone of our most cherished freedoms. Logically, this position leads to the bold assertion that meaningful manifestations of all other civil liberties would be jeopardized if freedom of conscience were diminished.
Indeed, to remove freedom of conscience is to deal a battering-ram blow to the liberal democratic ideals that support all human rights protections. “
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