Censorship
The Issue
Censorship restricts what the public can see, read, hear and know. It happens when some people succeed in imposing their political or moral values on others by suppressing words, images, or ideas to which they object
Why It Matters
Freedom of expression rights are fragile and endangered by efforts of governments, special interest groups or individuals to impose their viewpoints by blocking access to that which they do not approve.
Our Work
The Centre for Free Expression upholds the freedom of the public to read, to hear, to see, to know and to think for themselves. We monitor censorship in Canada, and, through public education and advocacy, we promote free expression.
Resources
Free Expression Walks into a Bar, Part 2: How Stand-up Comedy Became the Target of Censorship
Historically, stand-up comedy has pushed expressive boundaries and found itself at the forefront of battles over free expression. In Part 1 of this series, I made the case that stand-up comedy, even the deliberately offensive kind, can tell us something important about free expression.
By Dax D’Orazio
Freedom of Expression and the Charter: 1982-2022 (Part 2 of 5)
Day in and out, the news attests that freedom of expression is as precarious as ever, in Canada and around the world – imploring us at all times to remain vigilant and not take freedom for granted.
Freedom of Expression and the Charter: 1982-2022 (Part 1 of 5)
Late in 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered two of its most consequential Charter decisions on freedom of expression in recent years: City of Toronto v. Ontario and Ward v. Quebec. That endpoint in 2021 is the starting point of a 5-part series on s.2(b) of the Charter and its passage from 1982 to the present. The series begins with City of Toronto and Ward, two decisions dividing the Court 5-4 and pointing in opposite directions that raise perplexing questions about expressive freedom – and the Court itself. Of particular concern is the bloc mentality of these decisions and how it undermined principled decision making on important s.2(b) issues.
There Cannot Be Real Anti-Hate Activism Without Freedom of Expression
In early June, the New York Times ran a piece by Michael Powell entitled “Once a Bastion of Free Speech, the ACLU Faces an Iden
Don’t Throw Rosemary’s Baby Out with the Bathwater
Roman Polanski does not deserve to be vilified or cancelled, despite his conviction of sexual assault of a 13-year-old in 1978, and more recent allegations by women who state that he sexually abuse
By Ummni Khan
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