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Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are deemed “harmful” by those attempting to impose their personal, political, religious, or moral values on others. Censorship can be carried out by governments as well as by private pressure groups and organizations.

Blog February 19, 2020

Have we Lost the Plot with Polanski?

Roman Polanksi’s back in the news again, this time because of the 12 César Academy nominations he received for his latest film, An Officer and a Spy. Outrage ensued, as it always does, whenever the fugitive director receives any recognition for his work.  In response to the criticism, the entire César Academy Board resigned last week.  While some may view this as a #metoo victory, I wonder if we have allowed punitive impulses to misplace our priorities.
Blog February 3, 2020

Political boycotts are protected expression in Canada

Dr. David Kattenburg is a wine lover and activist. Recently, he merged these two passions together by litigating the issue of whether political boycotts are a form of Charter-protected expression. Specifically, in a judicial review before the Federal Court, Dr. Kattenburg challenged the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s decision to maintain the labeling of wines produced by Israeli settlers in the West Bank as “Products of Israel”. In the evidence before the Court, Dr.
Blog August 15, 2019

Can Public Libraries Maintain Their Commitment to Intellectual Freedom in the Face of Outrage over Unpopular Speakers?

An unprecedented number of public disputes have erupted across Canada in recent years about meeting room bookings and speaker’s events in the country’s public libraries. Most disturbingly, critics have ignored, disparaged, and frequently rebuffed the time-honoured commitments of Canadian public libraries to freedom of expression and unfettered access to library services.