BPC Bulletin: Cancel Culture: Canadian Edition
News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee.
Cancel culture: condemning and isolating individuals whose opinions are deemed improper; pressuring institutions to cancel speaking engagements of people whose views some regard as insensitive, hateful or wrong-headed.
— Sara Horowitz
In recent months, some Canadians have tried to deny public platforms to prominent people such as George Elliott Clarke, Meghan Murphy, Don Cherry and Jordan Peterson. As a result, some Canadian writers have tried to explain cancel culture to their readers.
Five opinion columns and a recording of a radio broadcast appear below.
COMMENTARY
In the Calgary Herald, Catherine Ford writes:
In the National Post, Jonathan Kay writes:
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jonathan-kay-the-main-victims-of-progressive-cancel-culture-are-progressives-themselves
In The Silhouette — the newspaper of McMaster University in Hamilton — Suad Alad writes:
https://www.thesil.ca/opinion-cancel-culture-doesnt-exist-it-never-has
In the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, John Gormley writes:
https://thestarphoenix.com/opinion/columnists/gormley-calling-all-adults-cancel-culture-needs-to-stop
In The Canadian Jewish News, Sara Horowitz writes:
https://www.cjnews.com/perspectives/opinions/horowitz-a-talmudic-perspective-on-cancel-culture
RADIO BROADCAST
In early November 2019, Duncan McCue of CBC Radio’s Cross Country Checkup asked people whether cancel culture has gone too far.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/checkup/has-cancel-culture-gone-too-far-1.5344590
The Book and Periodical Council was formed in 1975 as the Book and Periodical Development Council to provide a venue for members to discuss industry issues, address mutual concerns and undertake projects for the benefit of Canadian writing and publishing.