Episode 13 : 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.