Canada

WHAT: Toronto 2023 Voices for Justice Celebration Dinner

WHEN: November 14, 2023

Join us on the evening of November 14, 2023 for our Voices for Justice Celebration and become part of our global community dedicated to protecting and defending human rights.

Human Rights Watch’s Voices for Justice Celebration in Toronto is an opportunity to celebrate some of the most important human rights achievements of the past year and the human rights defenders who speak out where there is silence.

We hope you will join us and consider supporting our mission by becoming a sponsor. To learn more or to reserve your tickets or table, please visit https://www.hrw.org/vfjtoronto2023. 

A coroner’s inquest into the 2015 death of Abdurahman Hassan, a refugee from Somalia, has brought to light shocking details about Canada’s immigration detention system and abusive conditions in provincial jails. In response, 40 organizations have renewed their call on the federal government to stop incarcerating people in provincial jails for administrative immigration purposes.  The letter was also endorsed by former cabinet ministers Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock. More >

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to Japan on May 19 for the Summit of the Group of Seven (G7), an annual gathering of some of the world’s wealthiest economies. This year, meeting in Hiroshima, G7 member states will be joined by the leader of a country that is undergoing a serious regression in human rights and constitutional protections. A country that continues to be a major blind spot for the Trudeau government: India. More >

Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom to open the festival on International Women’s Day

(Toronto, February 8, 2023) - The Annual Human Rights Watch Canada Film Festival (HRWFF) in partnership with Hot Docs Cinema will be held from March 8 to 19, 2023; March 8-12 in-person at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, and March 13-19 on Hot Docs’ digital platform. Following the tradition of past festivals, all tickets for both in-person and digital screenings are free and accessible to everyone in Canada with internet. More >

(Halifax) – Nova Scotia’s confirmation that it will terminate its immigration detention contract with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is another win for migrant and refugee rights, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International Canada said today. The move follows a landmark decision by British Columbia on July 21 to terminate its own contract with the border agency. More >

(Beirut) – Children with disabilities caught up in the Syrian war are at greater risk of harm and lack access to the health care, education, or humanitarian aid needed to protect their basic rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The United Nations, the Syrian government, and concerned governments should urgently ensure protection and assistance to meet the needs of children with disabilities in Syria. More >

A major Canadian city has made a historic move to help protect the rights of migrants and asylum seekers. More >

Earlier this week, the Canadian Men’s National Soccer team refused to play a friendly match against Panama until their grievances around their contract negotiation with the Canadian Soccer Association were met. The team is asking for fair compensation and financial transparency as a precondition for them to take the field. They also want equitable compensation for both men’s and women’s teams. More >

As the one-year anniversary of a lethal heatwave in Western Canada approaches, the British Columbia and Canadian governments need to ensure that support is in place for those most at risk from climate change-exacerbated extreme heat. More > 

We write in advance of the 90th pre-session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child relating to Canada’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This supplementary submission is primarily based on research conducted from 2019 onward. It focuses on the plight of Canadian children arbitrarily detained in northeast Syria and access to education for Canadian children during the Covid-19 pandemic. More > 

The 19th annual Human Rights Watch Canada Film Festival (HRWFF), in its third year of partnership with Hot Docs, will present five films about key issues of the day to audiences in Toronto and, for the second time, digitally across Canada. The film festival is committed to amplifying courageous voices from around the world on both sides of the lens. More > 

On January 28, a person held in immigration detention in the Canadian province of Quebec died after they were found in “medical distress.” The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which operates the Laval Immigration Holding Center, disclosed the death two days later, but provided no details regarding the deceased’s identity or cause of death. More >