News

The Canadian Association of Journalists, the Centre for Free Expression, News Media Canada and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression are inviting nominations for the 2019 Code of Silence awards for outstanding achievement in government secrecy. The awards are given annually in the fall in each of four categories -- federal, provincial, municipal and police services. If you have met resistance in getting information from a public body, please send us your nomination for a deserving award recipient along with the reasons why it should be chosen. 

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   A new history of censorship has appeared: Pierrette Lafond’s Promenade en Enfer: Les livres à l'index de la bibliothèque historique du Séminaire de Québec.

Toronto: July 11,2019 - The Centre for Free Expression is pleased to announce the newest addition to its Occasional Paper Series, “Populism and Free Speech” by Jon Thompson. The paper explores the contradictory history of populism -- at times a force for social justice and at other times  to undermine democratic rights of marginalized groups. Thompson  argues that progressive populist action is required to successfully deal with the existential challenges of nuclear war, climate change and chemical pollution.   

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   In June 2019, the House Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in Ottawa published a report about hateful expression on the Internet. Taking Action to End Online Hate tentatively recommends reinstating section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. Parliament abolished the section, which authorized online censorship, in 2013. REPORTAGE

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   In the world of young-adult publishing, some fiction authors face barrages of abuse and threats — including death threats — on social media for their portrayals of minority characters and different cultures. Publishers are cancelling novels before publication and withdrawing published novels from marketplaces. In The Guardian, Leo Benedictus reports:

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   In Ottawa, a federal government committee is considering ways to stem the tide of hate propaganda and incitement to hatred on the Internet. The House Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights is chaired and dominated by Liberal MPs. However, Conservative MPs and one New Democratic MP also sit on the committee.