The report, focusing on the status of academic freedom in Canada, is part of the dossier of documents that the Committee will use to review Canada's seventh report on its duty to respect the ICCPR. The review will take place in early March 2026. Approximately 67 civil society organizations (CSOs) and universities submitted a report to the Committee, highlighting the significance of this process.
Our brief analyzes the impact of the absence of effective federal regulation and protection of academic freedom under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on freedom of expression (Article 19), freedom of assembly (Article 21), equality (Article 26) and the rights of ethnic and linguistic minorities (Article 27), among other provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
We hope this report encourages Committee members to include academic freedom in their agenda and issue concrete recommendations to Canada in their upcoming concluding observations.
Priya Kooner and Vannie Lau, of the International Justice & Human Rights Clinic, Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, and Salvador Herencia-Carrasco, of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) at the University of Ottawa, participated in the research, drafting, and review of this present submission to the UN Human Rights Committee. Morgan Isherwood, Clara Lequain, Edna Fernanda Rodriguez and Joshwa Mputu, members of the HRREC Human Rights Clinic, participated as research assistants for this submission.