When Dr. Henry Morgentaler starts offering abortions in 1968, he knows he’s breaking the law. Eventually, police move in, shutting down his Montreal clinic, arresting him, and sending him to jail. But instead of backing down, Morgentaler is emboldened, re-opening his clinic to offer thousands more abortions, and even performing a procedure on live TV, on Mother’s Day.

Host Falen Johnson and journalist Julie Ireton explore the multiple court battles Morgentaler fought in Quebec, his time in prison, and why he was willing to go to such great lengths to challenge the province’s abortion laws, over and over again.

This episode is part one of two. Find part two here: LINK LINK (will update when live)

After three court battles and jail time in Quebec, Dr. Henry Morgentaler sets his sight on offering abortions across Canada. He’s attacked with garden shears, his Toronto clinic is firebombed, and he and his staff are arrested. But with a new Charter of Rights and Freedoms in place, his legal defence finds a new audience —at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Host Falen Johnson and journalist Julie Ireton revisit how Morgentaler used the courts to remake Canada’s abortion laws, the fierce debate that followed, and how a new constitution created a climate where abortion was removed from the criminal code.

This episode is part two of two. Find part one here.

Gurbaj Singh Multani is just playing basketball when the ceremonial dagger that symbolizes his Sikh faith falls onto the playground of his Montreal school. The next thing the 11-year-old knows, his principal is giving him an ultimatum: hand over his kirpan, a symbol of his Sikh faith, or leave school.

Host Falen Johnson and journalist Sonali Karnick take us through the case of Multani v Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys. It sparks a heated public debate over multiculturalism in post 9/11 Quebec, with grown-ups hurling slurs at the tween, and ends with a landmark ruling for religious freedoms in Canada.

After twenty-two years behind bars, David Milgaard finally gets to speak his truth before the Supreme Court of Canada: he didn’t kill Gail Miller. And the new evidence his mother Joyce has been gathering can be heard.

Host Falen Johnson and journalist Laura Lynch bring us the culmination of R v Milgaard — a case Laura covered at the Supreme Court in the 1990s. She recounts the courtroom drama — from the day David went missing, to the moment the real killer took the stand. And we hear the complex aftermath of a case that shook Canadians’ views of their justice system (and inspired the Tragically Hip).

This episode is part two of two. Find part one here.

David Milgaard is no angel, a high school drop out who likes to party. But the 17-year-old swears he’s not a killer, even after his 1969 conviction for the rape and murder of nurses aid Gail Miller. His mother Joyce believes him — and starts working to prove it.

Host Falen Johnson and journalist Laura Lynch tell the epic tale of R v Milgaard. We hear about David’s life in the bowels of a notorious prison, and how his mom upends her small-town Saskatchewan life to hunt for clues about the real killer. But are the powers-that-be ready to listen?

This episode is part one of two. Find Part 2 here.

If you’ve ever had a cheeseburger delivered in the middle of the night, you might find it hard to believe there was a time when shopping on Sundays was against the law. But back in 1982, a plucky Calgary drug store decided to flout that law, got slapped with a ticket, and inadvertently changed the way Canadians shop, forever.

Host Falen Johnson and journalist Allison Dempster bring us the story of R. v. Big M Drug Mart, and the twenty-something shop owner who gets so sick of paying fines for being open on Sunday, she fights the charge all the way to the Supreme Court, sparking a nation-wide debate about the need for a day of rest.

Teenage Leticia, feeling alienated from her mostly white community, starts getting into trouble. But when her adoptive mother threatens to send her back to the child welfare system — the 13 year old is shocked. Would she really give up the child she fought all the way to the Supreme Court to adopt?

Host Falen Johnson and journalist Dawna Dingwall unpack the impact of the court judgement on Leticia, her personal struggles to overcome the trauma that followed the SCC ruling, and her quest to understand how Racine v Woods impacted not just her — but children across Canada.

This episode is part three of three.

After years of legal wrangling, the Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide Leticia's fate — will she stay with her former foster parents or go back to her First Nation with her birth mother? With more and more Indigenous children being put into care outside their communities, the decision unearths broader questions about who gets to decide what is best for a child — and what is really best for Leticia.

Host Falen Johnson and journalist Dawna Dingwall recount the court battle, the attitudes it uncovered, and the impact on 7 year old Leticia — including the judge’s decision to ban her birth mother, Linda, from seeing her until she’s 12.

This episode is part two of three.