Canadian Civil Liberties Association
A Canadian nonprofit organization that advocates for civil liberties, constitutional rights, due process, and democratic freedoms.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) is a national Canadian nonprofit organization devoted to defending civil liberties and constitutional rights. Its work combines public advocacy, legal intervention, education, research, and participation in public inquiries and policy debates. The association addresses questions involving freedom of expression, equality, privacy, criminal justice, police powers, national security, due process, protest rights, and the limits of government authority. The organization emerged in Toronto in 1964 during concern about a proposed Ontario bill that would have expanded police powers in response to organized crime. Its immediate predecessor was the Association for Civil Liberties, which had originally been conceived as a national organization but had increasingly concentrated on Ontario matters. Irving Himel brought together a group of prominent public figures and rights advocates, including Pierre Berton, June Callwood, Bora Laskin, Mark MacGuigan, Harry Arthurs, and John Keiller MacKay. The new association was established with MacKay as honorary president and sought to provide a durable, organized response to threats to individual liberty. A significant early institutional development came in 1968, when the CCLA received a Ford Foundation grant to study due process in Canada's lower courts. The resulting work informed later advocacy concerning the administration of justice and the protection of accused persons. The association also became one of the relatively few Canadian organizations to oppose the federal government's invocation of the War Measures Act during the 1970 October Crisis in Quebec. That position reflected a central feature of the CCLA's identity: it has generally emphasized that public safety measures must remain subject to legal safeguards, accountability, and proportionality, even during periods of crisis. During the late twentieth century, the CCLA became particularly associated with free-expression and civil-liberties advocacy. Alan Borovoy served as general counsel from 1968 to 2009 and later as general counsel emeritus. His long tenure helped make both Borovoy and the organization prominent voices in Canadian debates over freedom of speech, criminal law, policing, and state power. The association's influence also extended to constitutional development. Canadian historian Dominique Clément has described the CCLA's contribution to the drafting of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, enacted in 1982, as among its most enduring twentieth-century achievements. The CCLA has continued to participate in litigation, public inquiries, legislative submissions, and public education. Its interventions have covered topics such as government surveillance, emergency powers, discrimination, prison conditions, police accountability, and restrictions on protest. In the twenty-first century, the organization has maintained a visible role in debates over national security and emergency responses. It participated in the Rouleau Commission examining the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act in response to the 2022 Freedom Convoy demonstrations, reflecting its continuing scrutiny of exceptional government powers. The association is a civil-liberties advocacy organization rather than a conventional commercial brand. Its principal public-facing offerings are legal interventions, policy analysis, educational materials, campaigns, and representation of civil-liberties concerns in courts and official proceedings. Leadership has included lawyers, public officials, and policy specialists, with the executive director and general counsel serving as the principal operational and legal leadership role. As of July 2025, Howard Sapers was appointed executive director and general counsel.
History
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association was founded in Toronto in 1964 after concern arose over an Ontario government proposal that would have granted additional powers to police during a period of anxiety about organized crime. The association developed from the Association for Civil Liberties, an earlier body whose initially national orientation had become increasingly focused on Ontario. Irving Himel helped convene a group of lawyers, writers, academics, and public figures, including Pierre Berton, June Callwood, Bora Laskin, Mark MacGuigan, Harry Arthurs, and John Keiller MacKay. The new organization adopted a national civil-liberties mandate, with MacKay serving as honorary president. In 1968, the CCLA obtained support from the Ford Foundation for a study of due process in Canadian lower courts. The study provided evidence and recommendations that shaped the association's subsequent work on fair procedure and the criminal-justice system. Two years later, during the October Crisis in Quebec, the federal government invoked the War Measures Act. The CCLA was among the small number of Canadian organizations to publicly oppose that action, maintaining that emergency conditions did not eliminate the need for legal restraint and rights protection. The association's profile grew through sustained intervention in debates concerning freedom of expression, criminal law, police powers, equality, privacy, and national security. Alan Borovoy served as general counsel from 1968 until 2009, followed by a period as general counsel emeritus until his death in 2015. His tenure made him and the CCLA widely recognized participants in Canadian civil-liberties debates. Nathalie Des Rosiers served as general counsel from 2009 to 2013. Sukanya Pillay then held the executive director and general counsel position from 2014 to 2017, after acting as general counsel in the preceding transition period. The CCLA has also been associated with the constitutional development of modern Canada. Its advocacy influenced discussions surrounding the drafting of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which became part of the Constitution in 1982. According to historian Dominique Clément, this influence represents the organization's most lasting contribution during the twentieth century. The Charter subsequently provided a central legal framework for many of the rights and constitutional questions addressed by the association. Leadership changes continued in the following decades. Noa Mendelsohn-Aviv served as acting executive director and general counsel from 2017 to 2018 and returned to the permanent role in 2022, serving until December 2024. Michael Bryant led the organization from 2018 until January 1, 2022, when he left to become executive director of Legal Aid British Columbia. Abby Deshman became interim executive director and general counsel in December 2024. Howard Sapers was appointed executive director and general counsel on July 15, 2025. In recent years, the CCLA has remained active in disputes concerning emergency powers, policing, public demonstrations, national security, privacy, and constitutional accountability. It acted before the Rouleau Commission, which examined the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act to address the 2022 Freedom Convoy. The organization continues to operate as a public-interest advocacy body, using litigation, interventions, research, education, submissions, and participation in official inquiries rather than commercial products. Its archival records include the Canadian Civil Liberties Association fonds held by Library and Archives Canada.
- 2025
Howard Sapers appointed executive director and general counsel
[1]Howard Sapers assumed the organization's principal executive and legal leadership role on July 15, 2025.
- 2022
Participation in the Rouleau Commission
[1]The CCLA acted before the inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy.
- 1982
Influence on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
[1]The association's advocacy contributed to the broader rights and constitutional discussions associated with the drafting of the Charter.
- 1970
Opposition to the War Measures Act during the October Crisis
[1]The CCLA was among the Canadian organizations that opposed the federal government's invocation of the War Measures Act during the October Crisis.
- 1968
Due-process research supported by Ford Foundation grant
[1]A Ford Foundation grant enabled the association to study due process in Canadian lower courts and use the findings in later advocacy.
- 1964
Canadian Civil Liberties Association founded
[1]The organization was established in Toronto in response to a proposed Ontario measure that would have expanded police powers.
Products and positioning
An independent, nonpartisan Canadian civil-liberties organization that uses legal advocacy, research, education, and public-interest intervention to scrutinize government power and defend constitutional rights.
Legal advocacy
Public-interest legal interventions
The CCLA participates in constitutional and public-interest litigation, including interventions intended to present civil-liberties arguments before courts and tribunals. Its legal work addresses the interpretation and application of rights protections, procedural fairness, government powers, policing, criminal justice, privacy, equality, and freedom of expression.
Research and policy · 1968
Civil-liberties research and policy submissions
The organization produces analysis and submissions concerning legislation, public policy, and constitutional questions. Its historical due-process study of Canadian lower courts illustrates its approach of combining research with advocacy directed at legal institutions and public decision-makers.
Education
Public education and rights awareness
The CCLA educates the public and policymakers about civil liberties and constitutional rights. Its educational role includes explaining legal protections, drawing attention to threats posed by excessive state power, and contributing to public discussion about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Public accountability
Public inquiry participation
The association participates in commissions and official inquiries when government action raises significant civil-liberties questions. Its work before the Rouleau Commission concerning the Emergencies Act demonstrates this role in examining the legality, necessity, and accountability of exceptional government measures.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Emergencies Act accountability intervention
Canada
The CCLA participated in the Rouleau Commission's examination of the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy demonstrations.
- 1970Opposition to the War Measures Act
Canada · Quebec
The CCLA publicly opposed the federal invocation of the War Measures Act during the October Crisis, emphasizing the importance of civil-liberties safeguards during a national-security emergency.
Brand decisions
1968
Evidence-based due-process advocacyStrategyBackground
The organization sought a stronger factual basis for its work on fairness and rights in the Canadian justice system.
Action taken
It used a Ford Foundation grant to study due process in Canadian lower courts.
Aftermath
The study findings informed the association's advocacy in subsequent years.
1964
Creation of a national civil-liberties associationStrategyBackground
The proposed expansion of police powers in Ontario exposed the need for an organized response to government measures affecting civil liberties.
Action taken
Civil-liberties and human-rights advocates formed the Canadian Civil Liberties Association from the earlier Association for Civil Liberties.
Aftermath
The new organization developed into a national nonprofit advocate for constitutional rights and civil liberties.
Recent events
- 2025
Howard Sapers appointed executive director and general counsel[1]
Leadership change
Howard Sapers was appointed to lead the association as executive director and general counsel on July 15, 2025.
- 2022
CCLA participates in the Rouleau Commission on the Emergencies Act[1]
Regulation · Other
The association took part in the public inquiry examining the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy demonstrations.
Sources2 sources
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