West's submissions on a Canadian Foreign Influence Registry Scheme
In March 2023, Public Safety initiated public consultations on the merits of a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry. The following are Dr. Leah West’s submissions to this consultation process.
Her recommendations are informed by reports from CSIS on foreign interference, as well as reporting by advocacy groups like Alliance Canada Hong Kong. It also incorporates Canada’s constitutional jurisprudence on the freedom of expression protected under section 2(b) of the Charter. Finally, it reflects her analysis of strengths and weaknesses of comparable registration schemes like those of the US, Australia and proposed in the UK, as well as the impact on expression and advocacy of registration regimes in countries like Russia. I welcome informed feedback from academics, practitioners and advocates working in this space.
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Ukraine, Foreign Fighters and Canadian Law: A brief overview
The invitation of the government of Ukraine for individuals from around the world to join a foreign legion created for its self-defence, and the seeming ambiguity of the Canadian government’s attitude to this has raised a number of legal questions about those who may choose to do so. This short piece provides an overview of a number of legal issues this situation raises.
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Public Order Emergency: A guide to thinking through the legal thresholds and its justification
Late on Wednesday, February 17th, 2022, the Governor-In-Council (effectively cabinet) tabled a series of documents as part of a motion for consideration of a declaration of an emergency in the House of Commons under the Emergencies Act. In order to help Intrepid readers understand what Parliament is voting on, Leah West has prepared a helpful chart. It identifies the legal threshold required to find that a public order emergency exists, and the justification offered by Cabinet in support of that declaration in the documents laid before the House.
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