Description
Book SynopsisThis exploration of the activities of four Canadian NGOs in advancing and defending human rights principles sheds new light on the fragility and resilience of human rights norms in liberal democracies.
Trade ReviewIn Defence of Principles is a comprehensive survey of three groundbreaking Charter cases and the NGOs that plunged into the heart of these controversies. Thompson’s book ultimately reminds readers of the fragility of NGOs’ gains in the field of human rights, as the experiences of AI Canada in Kindler and of the CCC in Singh both show. Thompson’s work also describes how NGO intervention is not without its costs. The CCLA and AI Canada, for instance, paid a substantial price in the form of adverse publicity and decreased donations, respectively, for being seen to side with odious individuals (whether a virulent racist or two violent criminals). In spite of these setbacks, the persistence of Singh, Keegstra, and Kindler in current debates on refugees, free expression, and capital punishment remains a legacy of the intervention and bold ideas of Canada’s NGOs. -- Stephen Hsia * Osgoode Hall Law Journal Vol 49, No 2 *
This is a well-crafted, subtle, and highly relevant though specialized contribution to human rights and security. Summing up: Highly recommended. -- M.D. Crosston, Bellevue University * CHOICE, Vol. 48, No. 09 *
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction: In Defence of Principles
1 My Brother’s Keeper: The Canadian Council of Churches and the Rights of Refugees
2 The “Misuse” of Freedom? The Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and the Limits of Expression
3 Shocking the Conscience? Amnesty International Canada and Abolition of the Death Penalty
Conclusion: Principles in the Age of Rights
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
