“Although no one should be compelled to personally participate in a religious practice or activity, prohibiting a chaplain from referencing God in a spiritual reflection at a Remembrance Day service, for example, takes things further. Rather than promoting an even-handed accommodation of all religious and non-religious perspectives, it removes religious expressions (and only religious expressions) from such public settings.”
The Christian Legal Institute (CLI) Capstone & Reunion takes place directly after the conclusion of the CLF National Conference (to read more about that event, see here). CLI alumni gather for sessions and mentorship programming designed to solidify and build on the foundations laid during the prior days of the Conference and our experiences at the CLI.
CLF intervenes at the Supreme Court to illuminate the right to practice religion in private community. CLF explained how this includes the right to pray, deliberate, and share spiritual expressions and religious opinions freely within religious associations, without fear of undue state interference or surveillance.
This week, the federal government announced its plan to introduce legislation to indefinitely halt the planned expansion of euthanasia (or medical assistance in dying, “MAID”) for mental illness, but also announced its intention to allow provinces to permit advance directives for MAID. Read more in this update from Christian Legal Fellowship.
Christian Legal Fellowship has submitted a letter to every Member of Parliament, urging the government to permanently halt the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAID) where the sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness. CLF's submission outlines a number of concerns with expanding MAID for mental illness, which human rights experts have warned could perpetuate disadvantage rather than responding to underlying inequalities.
When I first received the word from the Christian Legal Fellowship that I had been accepted to attend the Christian Legal Institute (“CLI”), I was in the thick of a law school semester – readings stacked high, deadlines pressing in, and the familiar exhaustion that so many law students know well.
At that time, I had yet to become personally immersed in the CLF family. I was a general member, and would attend a few events in Toronto, but never really took it any further. I said yes, not yet knowing all that was in store for me.
On July 1, 2027, Canada turns 160! To commemorate this anniversary, Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) is launching its Canada 160 Campaign, inviting 160 lawyers and 160 churches to pledge $160 per month to CLF to support freedom and justice in Canada! Click to learn more about the campaign and the work of CLF National.
When can the government examine, without a warrant, the contents of our private prayers or religious reflections? That is a central question before the Supreme Court of Canada in Vabuolas et al v Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC, et al, where Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) has been granted leave to intervene as a friend of the court.
Today, Parliament’s Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD Committee) released a report recommending a “permanent pause” on expanding assisted suicide (also known as medical assistance in dying, or “MAID”, in Canada) for persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness (known as “MAID MI-SUMC”).
On May 25, 2026, Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) submitted a Brief to the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights on the federal government’s Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places).
Today, May 19, 2026, marks the 50th anniversary of Canada’s ratification of the International Human Rights Covenants, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). These two instruments give specific protection to the principles entrenched in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, transforming them from aspirational ideals to binding commitments.
Le 2 avril 2026, le Québec a adopté le projet de loi n° 9, Loi sur le renforcement de la laïcité au Québec, en invoquant la clause de dérogation de la Charte québécoise (article 53) et de la Charte canadienne (article 33). Depuis le dépôt du projet de loi n° 9 en novembre 2025, l’Alliance des chrétiens en droit (ACD) a exprimé des préoccupations, aux côtés d’un certain nombre d’autres groupes, quant aux restrictions qu’il impose à l’expression religieuse au nom de la laïcité.
On April 2, 2026, Québec passed Bill 9, An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Québec, into law, invoking the notwithstanding clause of both the Québec Charter (section 53) and the Canadian Charter (section 33). Since Bill 9’s introduction in November 2025, Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) expressed concerns, alongside a number of other groups, about its restrictions on religious expression in the name of laïcité.
“Canada’s multicultural heritage includes a centuries-long tradition of diverse faith communities playing an indispensable role in caring for Canada’s most vulnerable populations with compassion – and continuing to do so. Any accommodation of competing rights should aim to preserve religious multiculturalism, not replace it with a secular monoculture that compels hospitals to conform to majoritarian viewpoints, or which effectively denies the public of their much-needed services. “
