Flying Blind: The right to know, government obstruction, and fixing access in Canada

An informed public is critical to a functioning democracy, but in Canada the public’s right to information is threatened.

Join us for a day of engaging conversation as we look at the current challenges to creating, accessing, and sharing information in Canada, and work to create a path forward. Featuring experts working with the system and advocating for change, the day will provide insights into what needs to be done to permit a truly informed public essential to the future of a democratic Canada.

Speakers:

Dean Beeby, CBC journalist

Jesse Brown, Freelance journalist and media critic

Rob Cribb, Investigative Journalist, Toronto Star

Jennifer Ditchburn, Parliamentary reporter, Canadian Press

Tom Henheffer, Executive Director, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

Peter Jacobsen, Media lawyer and founding partner, Bersenas Jacobsen Chouest Thomson Blackburn LLP

Suzanne Legault, Information Commissioner of Canada

Ivan Semeniuk, Science reporter, Globe and Mail

Munir Sheikh, former Chief Statistician of Canada and currently Executive Fellow, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary

Laura Tribe, National and Digital Programs Lead, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

James L. Turk, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Ryerson University

Maggie Xenopoulos, Associate Professor of Biology, Trent University

This event is being held in partnership between:

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Centre for Free Expression, Ryerson Journalism Research Centre