The Centre for Free Expression Podcast

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms made Canada a constitutional democracy in which unelected courts, not elected legislatures, have the final say about rights and freedoms. Yet Section 33 (the Notwithstanding Clause) was built in to let governments override the courts on certain matters. That clause has been contentious ever since – never more than now when it is increasingly being invoked to deny...

Governments are increasingly requiring age verification for access to certain online content. In the name of protecting children online, systems for age verification create dangerous new forms of surveillance, censorship, and exclusion. Every system requires users to hand over sensitive personal information linking their offline identity to their online activity — valuable data easily leaked, hack...

When prominent Canadian novelist Lawrence Hill learned his award-winning The Book of Negroes had been banned from classrooms by the London District Catholic School Board because of its use of the N-word, he was deeply troubled. Join Lawrence Hill in his conversation with author and McGill University Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies, Debra Thompson, exploring censo...

In striving for balance and neutrality, does the Western mainstream media end up spreading misconceptions, myths and mistruths about the wars and conflicts in the Middle East? What are news consumers in the West missing about the war in Gaza, the turmoil in Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere? How can we ensure better coverage of the raging conflicts that are shaping our world today?  Paneli...

Islamophobia, like other forms of religious prejudice, racism and xenophobia, are everyday experiences on Canadian campuses despite efforts to eliminate it. Why does Islamophobia persist? What forms does it most commonly take on campus? What can be done to overcome it? Join a panel deeply engaged in eliminating Islamophobia as they explore these questions.  Panelists: Imam Yasin Dwyer (Executive D...

The gutting of the Washington Post. Abrupt changes at CBS. Caving to extravagant but frivolous Trump lawsuits. Are some of the richest and most powerful corporate tycoons ruining American journalism — and will more takeovers make things even worse? Is democracy dying in broad daylight? Three frontline journalists look at the dangers and what lies ahead.  Panelists: Joe Davidson, Veteran former Was...