How has the Supreme Court defined the Canada we know today? Marking the 150th anniversary of the country’s highest court, Shaping Canada offers unprecedented access to those who interpret our laws. In this historic series, we sit down with leading constitutional scholars and, in a rare event, all nine sitting Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada. From Indigenous rights to medical assistance in dying and freedom of expression, discover the human stories behind the landmark rulings that shape our daily lives.
Freedom of Religion with Professor Howard Kislowicz
In 1982, a Calgary drug store stayed open on a Sunday — and launched the first freedom-of-religion case to reach the Supreme Court of Canada under the new Charter. Professor Howard Kislowicz of the University of Calgary joins Hugo Martin to unpack R. v. Big M Drug Mart (1985), which defined what religious freedom means, and Syndicat Northcrest v. Amselem (2004), which reshaped it around sincere personal belief. Together they explore state religious neutrality, human dignity as the Charter's "golden thread," and how courts balance religious freedom against competing rights. This project has been made possible by the Government of Canada.
18 Dec 2025
Episode 12 : Equality Rights with Professor Kerri Froc
When the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms took effect, no one knew what its equality guarantee would actually require. In this episode of Shaping Canada, host Hugo Martin speaks with Professor Kerri Froc of the University of New Brunswick about Andrews v. Law Society of British Columbia (1989), the first case to define discrimination under Section 15. Froc traces the pre-Charter "horror story" of equality law, the deliberate drafting of Section 15, and how the grounds-based test built in Andrews still governs equality claims today, from intersectionality to Section 28 and the notwithstanding clause. This project has been made possible by the Government of Canada.
17 Dec 2025
Episode 11 : Indigenous Rights and the Sparrow Case with Professors Naiomi Metallic and Karen Drake
Indigenous Rights and the Sparrow Case with Professors Naiomi Metallic and Karen Drake
For more than a century, Indigenous rights in Canada were treated by the Crown as revocable privileges, “dependent on the goodwill of the Sovereign.” In 1990, R.
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16 Dec 2025
Episode 10 – Medical Assistance in Dying with Prof. Jocelyn Downie
Prohibition to Permission: The Long Road to Medical Assistance in Dying
Is the right to life also the right to choose how we die? Professor Jocelyn Downie, University Research Professor at Dalhousie University and a Member of the Order of
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13 Dec 2025
Episode 09 : Search and Seizure Protections with Prof. François Tanguay-Renaud
Search and Seizure Protections, Privacy, Power, and the Living Tree
Your home is your castle, but what happens when the state wants in? Professor François Tanguay-Renaud of Osgoode Hall Law School joins Shaping Canada to unpack Hunter v. Southam (1984),
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12 Dec 2025
Episode 08 : Freedom of Expression with Professor Richard Moon
Freedom of Expression with Professor Richard Moon
Freedom of expression is the lifeblood of a free and democratic society. It protects our right to speak, to create art, and to protest. But does this fundamental protection extend to the right
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11 Dec 2025
Episode 07 : Limits on Rights and Freedoms — with Professors Marcus Moore and Joel Bakan
Interview with Professors Joel Bakan and Marcus Moore
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees our freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and the presumption of innocence. But are those rights absolute? In this episode, Professors Marcus Moore and
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8 Dec 2025
Episode 06 : 150 Years of Landmark Decisions with Justice Andromache Karakatsanis
Interview with the Honourable Andromache Karakatsanis
In this episode of Shaping Canada: 150 Years of Landmark Decisions, we have an exclusive conversation with the Honourable Andromache Karakatsanis, the first Greek-Canadian justice and the Court’s longest-serving current member since her
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5 Dec 2025
Episode 05 : 150 Years of Landmark Decisions with Justice Malcolm Rowe Episode 05 : 150 Years of Landmark Decisions with Justice Malcolm Rowe
Interview with the Honourable Malcolm Rowe
In this episode of Shaping Canada: 150 Years of Landmark Decisions, we have an exclusive conversation with the Honourable Malcolm Rowe, appointed to the Supreme Court in 2016 as the first justice from
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5 Dec 2025
Episode 04 : 150 Years of Landmark Decisions with Justice Sheilah L. Martin Episode 04 : 150 Years of Landmark Decisions with Justice Sheilah L. Martin
Interview with the Honourable Sheilah L. Martin
In this episode of Shaping Canada: 150 Years of Landmark Decisions, we have an exclusive conversation with the Honourable Sheilah Martin, appointed to the Supreme Court on December 18, 2017. A former
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4 Dec 2025
Episode 03 : 150 Years of Landmark Decisions with Justice Mahmud Jamal
Interview with the Honourable Mahmud Jamal
In this episode of Shaping Canada: 150 Years of Landmark Decisions, we have an exclusive conversation with the Honourable Mahmud Jamal, appointed to the Supreme Court in July 2021 as the first person
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3 Dec 2025
Episode 02 : 150 Years of landmark decisions with the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada
Interview with the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada
In this episode of Shaping Canada: 150 Years of Landmark Decisions, we have the privilege of meeting with the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada, at
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2 Dec 2025
Episode 01: 150 years of landmark decisions | Preliminary provisions
Shaping Canada: 150 Years of Landmark Decisions
Introduction
Welcome to this very special first episode of Shaping Canada: 150 Years of Landmark Decisions, a podcast dedicated to exploring the impact of the Supreme Court of Canada on our society.
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1 Dec 2025
150 Years of Landmark Decisions | Trailer
150 Years of Landmark Decisions
Trailer
Freedom of expression, the right to privacy, medical assistance in dying — these rights didn’t always exist in Canada. They come from people like you and me who brought crucial questions before the courts.
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