Publications

In Canada, people seeking permanent resident status or temporary residence as students or workers can be rejected on the basis of their HIV status due to the “excessive demand” provision of Canada’s laws governing medical inadmissibility. Relying on the purportedly neutral criteria of the cost of health services, this law renders any applicant who would … Read more

Canada is in the midst of an opioid overdose crisis. This statement outlines concerns that civil society organizations have about the emerging federal, provincial and territorial response to this crisis and proposes a collaborative way forward to end the crisis.  

The so-called Respect for Communities Act was passed in 2015 in the last Parliament, with the clear goal of impeding the expansion of supervised consumption services (SCS). The Act is an affront to the extensive scientific evidence of the need for such health services and their benefits — including connecting people to other health care … Read more

The Respect for Communities Act undermines the rights of people who use drugs to access life-saving and health-protecting services. Read more about supervised consumption services in Canada and internationally, and their positive impact on individuals and communities. Related Publications Respect for Communities Act: The Case for Repeal

“The Legal Network submits this briefing to the World Health Organization’s High-Level Working Group of Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents in order to provide inputs on the following areas of concern: (i) the rights of women living with HIV; (ii) the rights of women, children and adolescents who use drugs; (iii) … Read more

“Since the election of President Rodrigo Duterte, more than 3000 people in the Philippines have been executed without due process for allegedly selling or using drugs. President Duterte has publicly and repeatedly incited law enforcement and the general public to commit these murders and other acts of vigilante violence. Duterte’s political rhetoric is becoming increasingly … Read more

“The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network welcomes this opportunity to provide submissions to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade on the subject of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).” In the brief The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Trading Away Access to Affordable Medicines, we “set out […] a number of specific concerns about how provisions in the TPP will … Read more

“The Legal Network’s guiding values are rooted in a focus on the human rights of marginalized populations such as sex workers and their meaningful participation in policies and programs that affect them. We make this submission to UN Women to urge the agency to (1) engage in a transparent and inclusive consultation with sex workers … Read more

“The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network submits this briefing to the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in advance of its review of the periodic report of Canada, held during its 65th session from 24 October to 18 November 2016. “In this submission, the Legal Network sets out its concerns about Canada’s … Read more

Canada is experiencing an overwhelming opioid overdose crisis. Over the past several years Canada has seen an alarming increase in reported opioid-related fatalities and injuries. Overdose deaths are preventable if the right measures are taken. As we approach International Overdose Awareness Day, held on August 31, the undersigned organizations call on you, as the Prime … Read more