OTTAWA, ON: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announces that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice will hear oral arguments on January 26, 2026, in a case brought by Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) challenging a decision by the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) to prohibit the display of certain protest signs on Parliament Hill.
The case stems from a May 2023 press conference, organized by CLC on Parliament Hill ahead of its annual event, the National March for Life. Before the event began, a PPS officer inspected the group’s signs. After reviewing them, the officer prohibited CLC from displaying images of fetal remains deemed too graphic to be shown on Parliament Hill.
The officer cited Parliament Hill rules banning images deemed “obscene, offensive, or that promote hatred.” A later version of the rules expressly prohibited signs or banners displaying “explicit graphic violence or blood.”
The case raises questions of national importance, as the rule at issue effectively prohibits all images the PPS regards as objectionable. This restriction affects expression in service of many causes, from anti-war protests to health campaigns to animal rights advocacy.
“Using graphic images to expose injustice has long been a catalyst for social change,” says Matthew Wojciechowski, spokesperson for the CLC.
“Though difficult to look at, images of abortion expose a truth that words cannot. Censoring them on Parliament Hill—the heart of our democracy—reveals a deep hypocrisy and an alarming erosion of freedom of expression,” he added.
Constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir said, “We look forward to this matter being heard. We hope that the court will agree that the Rules for the Use of Parliament Hill unjustifiably limit the freedom of expression of demonstrators.”
“If there is any place in our country that should be maximally available for people to proclaim a political message, it is Parliament Hill,” he added.
