News

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   In the Superior Court of Quebec, Le Journal de Mourréal — a satirical website — has lost a trademark dispute with Le Journal de Montréal.

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   In Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice, a judge has fined a videographer $2.5 million for making hateful, defamatory remarks about a Lebanese-Canadian restaurateur. On May 13, 2019, Justice Jane Ferguson ordered Kevin J. Johnston to pay the sum to Mohamad Fakih, the owner and founder of Paramount Fine Foods. REPORTAGE

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Court of Appeal recently dismissed a civil charge of contempt against Justin Brake, a journalist. The Court of Appeal — which overturned a lower court ruling — delivered its verdict on March 28, 2019.

The Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom has named Ken Rubin, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Free Expression, as its 2018-19 recipient of the Spencer Moore Award for Lifetime Contributions in pursuit of press freedom and freedom of information.  In its announcement, the CCWPF recognized Rubin as “a tireless advocate for freedom of expression. He has helped promote improvements in freedom of information and privacy protection legislation in Canada, including amending the federal access act to penalize officials for record alteration violations.”

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   On April 1, 2019, Quebec’s Superior Court of Justice began to hear the dispute between Québecor and the Journal de Mourréal. Québecor publishes Le Journal de Montréal, a newspaper. The Journal de Mourréal is a satirical website. Québecor argues that the Journal de Mourréal is guilty of trademark infringement.

News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee   On March 27, 2019, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruled on a dispute between Morgane Oger and William Whatcott. The tribunal ruled that Whatcott, a Christian activist, had discriminated against Oger, a transgender activist and former B.C. NDP candidate, when Whatcott distributed a leaflet about Oger’s sexuality during the provincial election in 2017.