Freedom of Expression & Its Limits

On April 11, 2018, President Trump signed into law two anti-trafficking bills which will not only censor consensual sex workers, but will also profoundly affect freedom of expression on-line.

Barry Neufeld is a man with many opinions – but, not everyone thinks he should be permitted to express them. Mr. Neufeld is an elected trustee of the Chilliwack, BC school board. He believes that the school board's new sex education curriculum is bad for kids. He is particularly upset that it teaches about gender identity and transgender people.

In its recent draft Position on Online Reputation, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has suggested the options of removing webpages from search engine results, or “de-indexing”, along with “source takedown.”  

Imagine that I am a teacher who has decided to teach my students about cultures other than their own. I want those students to understand that wearing a kirpan, a turban, a kipa, a hijab, or a niqab does not make a person less Canadian, less deserving of respect, or “abnormal.” So, I decide I will wear items belonging to my own cultural practices as a demonstration of how easily we can all interact with the diverse community around us. I choose, as a Muslim woman, to cover my hair with a hijab and cover my lower face with a niqab.

Lawyers have an integral role in the maintenance of the reputation of the administration of justice. However, in situations where the administration of justice is already in disrepute, the role that lawyers can play is not entirely clear. Clients may ask lawyers to provide advice regarding actions that violate the letter of the law in furtherance of making a change to law or policy. In these cases, lawyers’ professional ethics are challenged.

Six teenage boys dubbed the “Dropbox Six” were recently sentenced to a conditional discharge after pleading guilty to sharing “intimate images” contrary to s. 162.1(1) of the Criminal Code.