When people live in poverty, nearly every aspect of their life is affected. Poverty shapes their experiences with our intersecting social systems, including the criminal justice system, civic and electoral systems, sports, and the arts.
Our work on advancing economic and social rights raises the question: what if we built all of our systems on a foundation of human rights?
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Criminal justice
The Canadian criminal justice system is complex, with multiple actors, various levels of government involved in its oversight and operations, and processes that are difficult to navigate for most individuals, especially without legal guidance.
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Right to education
Education empowers people and acts as an enabler for realizing your other rights.
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Human rights cities
Cities are perfectly positioned to champion economic and social rights, given their responsibilities in corresponding policy and program delivery areas.
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Advancing justice: How racism and poverty degrade human rights and undermine the criminal justice system
To deepen our understanding of the relationship between human rights, poverty, racism, and the criminal justice system, we had conversations with and published contributions by researchers and practitioners, as well as individuals with lived experience. The result was “Advancing justice,” a series of articles and podcast interviews.
Rethinking education: What the pandemic teaches us about the role of schools
We spoke with Annie Kidder of People for Education about what COVID-19 showed us about the way we think about schools, why we need to talk about education as a human right, and what we need to do next.
Human rights cities: The power and potential of local government to advance economic and social rights
A growing number of local governments from across the world are turning to human rights to affirm a vision of more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable communities. Such places may be broadly categorized as “human rights cities.”
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Tackling Canada’s housing crisis: How the federal government can build at scale now
To address poverty, the federal government must first deal with the budgetary elephant in the room
Dear Minister: We urge you to reconsider your cuts to the Interim Housing Assistance Program immediately
