Introduction “Everyone has the…freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” – Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms1 In this short reflection, we consider institutional, legal, and social pressures on the enjoyment of freedom of expression in Canada. [...] What are these pressures, and how did this occur? One study by Eric Kaufmann of Birkbeck College of the University of London on the political affiliations of professors in Canada, the US, and the UK suggests that some ideas and perspective may not even be passing the “hiring phase” on post-secondary campuses. [...] And why should they not depart academia? When the evaluation of academic merit encompasses both the perceived merit of the academic contribution and the perceived merit of the person from whom the contribution arose, why should we wonder that conservatives are departing academia for professions in which the distinction between personal beliefs and professional contributions is protected? Academic. [...] It was later re-introduced as the Online Streaming Act, which passed in the House of Commons on June 21, 2022, and which passed with amendments in the Senate on February 2, 2023.8 Canadian citizens and content creators were quick to realize that the language of the Bill would extend to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) additional powers to control broadcasting. [...] These are problems of bias and selection and the conditions of open inquiry, and each has the potential to adversely impact the enjoyment of freedom of expression and autonomy in Canada.
- Pages
- 16
- Published in
- Canada
