FJ’s death must be independently investigated. Canadians must be brought home from NE Syria. Any allegations of terrorism or other criminality should be dealt with in our legal system.

Human rights do not matter only when it is convenient or when we feel sympathetic. They matter always and they matter for us all.

Today, and all the tomorrows that lie ahead, we must stand together and we will move forward together, united in the resolve that hate cannot and  will not prevail.

It is in community and common cause that hope will rise, as it always has.

It is vital that you take immediate steps, particularly while witnesses are accessible and evidence is fresh, to launch an expert, independent and impartial investigation. Such an investigation cannot, in these circumstances, be conducted by either the RCMP or your consular staff.  There are many other options that would provide the independence and expertise that is needed. We would welcome the opportunity to identify who might be best placed to conduct such an investigation.

We urge you to move immediately.  It is of vital importance for many reasons, most especially because FJ’s six children deserve to know what has happened to their mother.

Today, and every day, but especially today. Ceasefire. Free the hostages. Stop the arms flow. End the occupation. Recognize full Palestinian statehood, alongside a safe and secure Israel. Bring all war criminals to justice. Reject all hate. Embrace, respect and enforce all international law.

Choose peace. Now and always.

We write this Open Letter to share our deep concern about your decision last month not to participate in activities organized by Capital Pride, including the parade, because you objected to the Palestinian solidarity statement they issued. The decision itself and the manner in which you reached it undermine important human rights principles regarding peaceful protest, equality and non-discrimination, transparency, and accountability that should guide all aspects of your administration.

We urge you to take substantive steps to strengthen regard for human rights obligations at municipal level to better ensure that human rights are bolstered and respected, and not undermined and violated, by the city’s regulations and policies, and the actions of city officials, including yourself.

It will take work to deliver justice, of course it will.  It will cost money to deliver justice, of course it will.  It will take political will and courage to deliver justice, of course it will.  But continuing to turn our back on justice is untenable and profoundly, morally wrong. It betrays our shared humanity. That, in the long run, is far more expensive.

It pains me to know that I let Jack down when I gave him hope of justice within a year. And that I let him down because my country has essentially decided that human rights do not fully apply to him or to other Canadians trapped in the harrowing labyrinth of injustice in Northeast Syria.

Enough. This simply has to end. Now. I’m not giving up. None of us can.

79 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there is only one possible future, and that is a future which prohibits and abolishes nuclear weapons, full stop. That is how we best remember, but more importantly how we best honour the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That is how we best lift up our precious, shared humanity.

As law professors, we teach our students how to advocate for themselves and to use their skills to do so for others who cannot. We were, in fact, drawn to law in the first place because we wanted to be effective advocates.

The same is likely true for the more than 70 law students at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law, who learned a lesson on the costs of advocacy. After advocating for Palestinian human rights, they were confronted with the risk of expulsion and a stillborn legal career.

Free expression and peaceful assembly rights are at the heart of democracy, play a crucial role in building awareness about human rights concerns and, of all places, should be cherished and celebrated on a university campus.

There are no grounds for dismantling the U of O encampment. Rather, taking a stroll to the Tabaret Lawn to listen, learn and, ultimately, agree or disagree, is highly recommended.

Open Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling for the Canadian government to issue a clear statement of support for the work of the International Criminal Court with respect to the situation in Palestine.

Dr. Frémont, I urge you to make it clear that the University of Ottawa recognizes that the encampment is a legitimate exercise of the right to protest and is protected by the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly. It will therefore be allowed to continue.

That it is a racialized, disabled woman, who has already been isolated and shunned within the legislature, who stands up to a white man, and decades of rules and attitudes set largely by white men, speaks volumes.

Any of us - I would suggest, especially white men - who leave her to take that stand on her own should feel nothing but shame.

As we stand on the precipice of a pivotal juncture in Middle Eastern politics, Canada’s path forward must be paved with principled leadership, unwavering in its dedication to human rights and international justice.

This is not about other peoples and other conflicts. This is about us all. We are witness and we are complicit. We are watching real time genocide in Gaza. Acknowledge and claim that. We must. We cannot lie or pretend. We know.

And we are only powerless if we remain silent.

These unending years of lawless contempt for the fundamental tenets of the rule of law cannot go on indefinitely. The reconsideration application offers an opening for the Supreme Court to tackle this injustice and play its role as a guarantor of rights and justice.

It is regrettable that the government is not doing so of its own accord. But it is not too late to end this unconscionable disregard for human rights. The government could and should take that step today.

Things were bad enough when we were in Northeast Syria in August. The situation has only worsened since and seems slated to become more dire. What is needed is not protracted litigation. What is needed is a political decision to bring all Canadians home from there, to hold them accountable in our legal system if warranted. It is time for human rights to prevail.

With this statement we have begun to line up behind international law, which for too long has been pushed to the sidelines for Palestinians. Words matter, very much. Actions, though, show the truth and strength of our convictions. Actions make the difference in the end.

Against this backdrop, before and since October 7th, confrontational rhetoric that the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court should play no role in responding to the unrelenting violence in Israel/Palestine only deepens divisions. Of course none of this will be solved, magically and overnight, by either of these important international courts. But what a difference it would be to allow laws, human rights and judges to take over from 2,000 pound bombs, rockets and the hate and fearmongering of politicians.

Let there be no more equivocating statements from Canada when it comes to the vital role that international law and courts must play in preventing genocide in Gaza, and in ensuring justice and accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories as well as in Israel. 

And let that not be exceptional, let it become Canada’s clear mantra with respect to grave human rights crises anywhere in the world. The bottom line must always be full respect for international human rights and international humanitarian laws, backed up by full and yes, unwavering, support to national and international courts as they seek to enforce those laws and hold perpetrators accountable.  Only then might the ache of humanity’s heart and weeping of humanity’s soul begin to ease.

The treatment of Palestinian rights advocacy as hateful, racist, discriminatory, defamatory, or otherwise wrongful inverts both fact and law. When such advocacy calls for action to address ongoing gross violations of the international protected rights of Palestinians, including with respect to apartheid and genocide, and draws attention to Canada’s continuing abdication of its international legal obligations, far from being restricted or limited, speech of that nature should be respected and protected.

Universal human rights are today’s dignity and tomorrow’s survival, for us all. Some may say that is unrealistic naivety.  I say there is no other road to travel.