Posts by Kathleen Ruff

About Kathleen Ruff

Kathleen Ruff is a longtime human rights activist. She was director of the BC Human Rights Commission from 1972 to 1979, taking precedent-setting cases to tribunals and up to the Supreme Court of Canada. She was host of the CBC TV program Ombudsman and Director of the Canadian Court Challenges Program. Because of her concern that the voices of advocacy are being suppressed and weakened in Canada due to Revenue Canada policies that reward corporate lobbying but penalize civil society advocacy, she founded a human rights website that did not seek charitable tax status and was therefore free and independent to carry out advocacy campaigns: RightOnCanada.ca. She has spoken at conferences around the world and written numerous articles for scientific journals, civil society publications and the media on ethics and action to prevent the scientific literature and national and international health policy from being corrupted by vested corporate interests. Kathleen is Senior Human Rights Adviser to the Rideau Institute and a Research Associate with the CCPA-BC. More about Kathleen

Asbestos-caused disease increasing in Canada, and many victims are women 

May 25, 2016

By Kathleen Ruff

For more than a century, it has been known that asbestos causes disease and death. But the asbestos industry suppressed scientific evidence, created lobby organizations and hi-jacked public policy. Canadians, and people around the world, have paid the price with their lives. The economic costs have also been enormous, with billions of dollars spent on… View Article