Episode 437: Random Traffic Stops, Racial Profiling, and the Supreme Court’s Reckoning

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko break down a major Supreme Court of Canada hearing that could fundamentally change police powers to conduct random traffic stops. At the centre of the case is Lumumba, a challenge rooted in repeated arbitrary stops and clear evidence of racial profiling. The discussion explores whether individual Charter remedies are enough to address a systemic problem, how subconscious bias plays a role in policing, and whether highway safety can still justify unfettered stop powers decades after they were first approved. The episode also looks at data-driven traffic enforcement, the limits of police discretion, and another classic B.C. overpass strike in Ridiculous Driver of the Week. Check out the “Lawyer Told Me Not To Talk To You” T-shirts and hoodies at lawyertoldme.com and “Sit Still Jackson” at sitstilljackson.com.