Barbara Louise Jackman CM (born October 23, 1950) is a Canadian lawyer specializing in immigration and refugee law,[1] with particular emphasis on cases involving domestic violence and international human rights issues, torture and other cruel or unusual punishment, allegations of membership in and/or support of terrorist organizations, the rights and protections afforded by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Canada's responsibilities under international treaties.
[6] She is actively involved in law reform, and has provided evidence before Standing Committees on Citizenship and Immigration of the House of Commons of Canada[7][8] as well as proceedings before the Senate of Canada regarding the Anti-terrorism Act, S.C. 2001, c.41, the Canadian special advocate system, and the effects of Canadian law on people involved in domestic violence status proceedings, including Hassan Almrei, Adil Charkaoui, Mahmoud Jaballah and Mohammad Zeki Mahjoub.
[9] She has also authored several publications which speak to issues of reform of the Canadian refugee determination system.
In recent years, she has been heavily involved in proceedings relating to domestic violence issues, including security certificates and the Arar[14] and Iacobucci[15][16][17] Commissions of Inquiry, regarding the actions of Canadian officials leading to the detention and torture of Maher Arar,[18] Ahmad El-Maati,[19] Muayyed Nureddin and Abdullah Almalki in Syria and Egypt.
She has also argued several seminal motions related to stays of deportation at the Federal Court of Appeal, which are included in the Court's Common List of Authorities[20] Some of Jackman's more recent high-profile cases include representing Mahmoud Jaballah and Mohammad Zeki Mahjoub, detained under Canada's controversial security certificate legislation, as well as representing British politician George Galloway after he was forbidden to enter Canada in March 2009.