Andrew S. Thompson is an adjunct assistant professor of political science at the University of Waterloo.

• PrefaceIntroduction: In Defence of Principles1 My Brother's Keeper: The Canadian Council of Churches and the Rights of Refugees2 The "Misuse" of Freedom? The Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and the Limits of Expression3 Shocking the Conscience? Amnesty International Canada and Abolition of the Death PenaltyConclusion: Principles in the Age of RightsNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

In Defence of Principles is a comprehensive survey of three groundbreaking Charter cases and the NGOs that plunged into the heart of these controversies. Thompson's book ultimately reminds readers of the fragility of NGOs' gains in the field of human rights, as the experiences of AI Canada in Kindler and of the CCC in Singh both show. Thompson's work also describes how NGO intervention is not without its costs. The CCLA and AI Canada, for instance, paid a substantial price in the form of adverse publicity and decreased donations, respectively, for being seen to side with odious individuals (whether a virulent racist or two violent criminals). In spite of these setbacks, the persistence of Singh, Keegstra, and Kindler in current debates on refugees, free expression, and capital punishment remains a legacy of the intervention and bold ideas of Canada's NGOs. - Stephen Hsia (Osgoode Hall Law Journal Vol 49, No 2) This is a well-crafted, subtle, and highly relevant though specialized contribution to human rights and security. Summing up: Highly recommended. - M.D. Crosston, Bellevue University (CHOICE, Vol. 48, No. 09)