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Freedom of Expression and the Public's Right to Know

Genuine democracy, advancement of knowledge, individual self-development, and social justice depend on a society in which freedom of expression and the right to know are a reality for everyone. The Centre for Free Expression works to advance these rights though public education, advocacy, law reform, research, advisory services, policy analysis, assistance to courts, and organizational collaborations.

The Latest

News June 16, 2017

CFE calls for action on new federal whistleblowing report

Media Release Committee report puts fate of Canadian whistleblowers in Trudeau’s hands OTTAWA, June 16, 2017 - Today a House of Commons committee released its hard-hitting report that calls for a major overhaul of Canada’s inadequate federal whistleblower protection legislation. The Government Operations Committee report recommends a number of changes to provide genuine protection to federal civil servants that blow the whistle on government wrongdoing.
Whistleblower Protection
News June 14, 2017

Nominations Open for PEN/Canada Ken Filkow Prize

Nominations for the PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize have just opened. This $1,000 annual prize celebrates champions of free expression in Canada. The deadline for nominations is August 8, 2017. Nominees may be anyone ­– authors, journalists, public servants, scientists, professors, business people, editors, publishers, organizations and concerned citizens – whose work has advanced freedom of expression in Canada.
Academic Freedom, Freedom of the Press, Censorship
Blog June 12, 2017

Why Muslims don’t need to condemn terrorism

Freedom of expression creates a metaphorical “marketplace of ideas” where truth and falsehood can do battle, the eventual victor given time, always being truth. This concept is a foundational principle of liberal democracy found in the philosophies of John Milton and John Stuart Mill. The concept even exists in Islamic theology where the Quran states “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error” (2:256). 
Abbas Kassam
Blog June 5, 2017

Out on A Librarian Limb

We should applaud the public outcry that recently helped to restore Saskatchewan library funding. This situation served as an important signal work needs to be done to protect libraries and the people who work in them, who are often in difficult political situations, including over the freedom of expression.
Toni Samek
Academic Freedom, Censorship
Blog May 29, 2017

Ontario’s Anti-SLAPP law: off to a good start, but important concerns remain

[Co-written with Andrea Gonsalves and Carlo Di Carlo] In late 2015, the Ontario Legislature identified a problem:  it saw an increasing number of defamation cases in which the plaintiff’s goal was not to obtain compensation, but instead to drag a defendant into interminable and costly litigation as a form of retribution against the defendant for speaking out against the plaintiff.
Justin Safayeni
Freedom of Expression & Its Limits, Anti-SLAPP