Canada is often lauded as a model democracy that values the constitutional rights of its citizens. So when over a thousand people – most of whom were peaceful protesters or hapless bystanders – were violently arrested and then detained without charge during the G20 Summit in Toronto in 2010, many Canadians felt shock and outrage. Putting the State on Trial: The Policing of Protest during the G20 Summit examines the political, social, and economic conditions that “allowed” the policing of the summit to culminate in human and civil rights violations. Written by a multi-disciplinary group of scholars and legal practitioners, this book contextualizes events before, during, and after the summit from a range of perspectives. Although the G20 protests serve as a point of departure in every chapter, the contributing authors engage with larger questions about the control of dissent, the impact of the securitization and internationalization of Canadian politics, the implications of legal uncertainty, and the accountability vacuum.
Margaret E. Beare is a professor of sociology and law at York University and Osgoode Hall Law School. Nathalie Des Rosiers is the dean of the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, at the University of Ottawa. Abigail C. Deshman is the director of the Public Safety Program with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
Contributors: Ronald G. Atkey, Paul Burstein, Andrew Clement, Meaghan Daniel, Bernard Duhaime, Julian Falconer, Veronica Kitchen, Nicholas Lamb, Colleen Matthews, Kate Milberry, Howard F. Morton, Leo Panitch, Jacinthe Poisson, George S. Rigakos, Kent Roach, Kimberly Rygiel, Liora Salter, James Stribopoulos, Ian Urquhart, and Lesley Wood.