Danielle S. McLaughlin

Blogger
Former Director of Education
Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Danielle S. McLaughlin has been a civil liberties advocate since she was old enough to say “That’s not fair!” As the director of education for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Education Trust from 1988 to 2016, she worked closely with the late A. Alan Borovoy, and developed programs and resources to help teachers and students think critically about their rights and freedoms. Danielle is particularly concerned about the loss of freedom of expression experienced by teachers and students in Canada’s education systems.

She is the author of That’s Not Fair! Getting to Know Your Rights and Freedoms published by Kids Can Press as their 2016 Citizen Kid book for children in grades 2 to 6. She is also co-author with her son Reuben McLaughlin of the That’s Not Fair! website videos for children ages 7 to 11.

Related

Blog November 4, 2024

What If Kids Had Charter Rights? Surprise! They Have.

One of the questions I always enjoyed asking school kids is, “To whom does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms apply?” While there are many possible answers, one that I like to hear is that the Charter is about the relationship between governments and the people who live in Canada. In other words, it applies to all of us.
Danielle S. McLaughlin
Censorship
Blog January 29, 2024

SHHH! WE DON’T TALK ABOUT THAT: Preparing students to engage with difficult issues

Do you ever worry that Canadians have a niceness problem? In classes and in groups many of us are afraid to voice opinions that others might see as unpleasant, contrary, or even worse, hateful. It isn’t that we all agree with one another. Our opinions and views are as varied as they are in any other society. But many of us have been conditioned simply to be agreeable with one another. We have not learned how to disagree or that disagreement can lead to better understanding of issues. It is a skill that can and should be taught from a very early age.
Danielle S. McLaughlin
Workplace Free Expression
Blog September 19, 2023

How to Weed a School Library

There was quite a bit of pearl-clutching recently when it was announced that the Peel District School Board (PDSB) had begun to weed its libraries by removing all books published before 2008. Like a good garden, libraries do need the occasional weeding. The question is, of course, what’s a weed?
Danielle S. McLaughlin
Intellectual Freedom