About CCLET

The Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust (CCLET) is a non-profit research and public educational organization created in 1967 by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA). 

 CCLA is a national, non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to protect and promote rights and freedoms through the courts, in the community, and in schools. Together, CCLA and CCLET stand for freedom, equity, and a better future for all people in Canada. 

CCLET supports the belief that those who understand and think critically about their rights and responsibilities are better prepared to live as global citizens. Our programs encourage learners to engage with and think critically about diverse perspectives, so that they may actively participate in our democratic processes — and make Canada a better, more inclusive place for all. 

We believe that as soon as you have a capacity to say “that’s not fair,” you can engage in thinking critically about rights and responsibilities. We offer a range of accessible educational programming designed for students as young as 5 years old to adult learners who wish to deepen their understanding of the rights and freedoms to which we are all entitled in a democracy.   

CCLET’s resources and programs explore current and historical issues of social justice and ask questions that do not have straightforward answers. Developed by teachers, academics, and lawyers, CCLET’s education programs support and fulfill provincial curriculum expectations in many subject areas including social studies, English, politics, history, civics, law, language arts and media literacy. 

Our decades of experience has earned CCLET a reputation for excellence in providing balanced and accessible civil liberties education. Rather than teach learners what  to think, we teach them the questions to ask. The value-balancing approach used by CCLET in its many educational programs invites learners to examine and explore ethical dilemmas from multiple perspectives. Using principles that inform the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, CCLET teaches a simplified framework for questioning nearly any issue of fairness. In this way, CCET helps participants to develop the habits of democracy.