André M. Schutten, LL.M.

Part-time Instructor of Political Studies

André Schutten, Director of Law & Public Policy for ARPA Canada, has practiced constitutional law for 10 years. He has made written and oral arguments at the Supreme Court of Canada, and in Superior and Appellate courts in five different provinces. André has also made multiple presentations to House of Commons and Senate committees on issues related to freedom of expression, ableism, criminal policy, freedom of religion, human trafficking, and human rights. 

André is also a church organist, a recent Muay Thai enthusiast, and former infantry reservist. Happily married with three children, he lives in a cozy home nestled on the edge of Gatineau Park, a short bike-ride from Parliament Hill.

  • Cert. Human Rights Law (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, 2015)
  • LL.M. in Constitutional Law (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, 2013)
  • LL.B. (University of Ottawa, 2010)
  • Hon.B.A. in Classics and Religion (McMaster University, 2007)

Expertise

  • Constitutional law
  • Administrative law
  • Human Rights law
  • Charter of Rights and Freedoms
  • Fundamental freedoms
  • Intersection of law, politics, and religion
  • Institutional pluralism
  • Public policy, social issues, and human rights

  • 2021, “Section 31 and the Charter’s unexplored internal limits on state power” Supreme Court Law Review (forthcoming)
  • 2020, “Recovering Community: Addressing Judicial Blind Spots on Freedom of Association” Supreme Court Law Review (2020) 98 S.C.L.R. (2d) 399
  • 2016, “Lethal Discrimination: A Case Against Legalizing Assisted Suicide in Canada” Supreme Court Law Review (2016) 73 S.C.L.R. (2d) 143
  • 2015, (co-author Richard Haigh) “Whatcott and Hate Speech: Re-thinking Freedom of Expression in the Charter Age” National Journal of Constitutional Law Vol. 34, No. 1 (2015) 1
  • 2012, “The Need for Greater Protection of Religious Associational Rights in Employment” Canadian Diversity vol. 9:3 (Summer 2012) 44

Recent Publications

  • 2021, A Christian Citizenship Guide, 2nd Edition, Michael Wagner & André Schutten, (2021: Premier Printing Ltd., Winnipeg, MB) (forthcoming)
  • 2018, (co-author John Sikkema) “Opportunity and Temptation: A Reformed Christian Legal Perspective on Church Discipline in Canada” Cardus Religious Freedom Institute (October, 2018)

Affiliations & Memberships

Licensed with the Law Society of Ontario; member of Christian Legal Institute

  • POLS 493, Law, Public Policy, and Cultural Change (Fall, 2021)