Check It Out: Is freedom of expression no longer free?
By Joan Janzen
A defence attorney told his client, “I have good news and bad news. First, the bad news. The blood test came back, and your DNA is an exact match with that found at the crime scene.”
“Oh no,” his client gasped, “What's the good news?”
“Your cholesterol is down to 140”.
Despite many crazy things happening in the world, there is good news to be found. On August 22, the Saskatchewan Education Minister announced new "Parental Inclusion and Consent Policies" in response to concerns raised by Saskatchewan parents.
A recent Leger poll has shown that Canadians, in general, are in favour of supporting parents' rights in education. So, while those parents see this policy as good news, the mainstream media ensures the opposing voices are heard. Teachers who approve of the policy expressed their support anonymously, saying it's important parents play the parent role, not teachers.
More and more professionals choose to voice their opinions anonymously or not at all. Last year, an Ontario teacher voiced her concerns about books in the school library. Her microphone was shut off, and she was kicked out of the meeting for expressing her opinion at a public school board meeting. Now, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) is suing the Waterloo school board on her behalf, and they're waiting for a ruling.
John Carpay, founder of JCCF observed, "Silencing colleagues is very dangerous for democracy," while being interviewed by Faytene Grasseschi. JCCF was established in 2010 for the purpose of representing Canadians in court when their rights have been breached, and they do it all for free. John said a lot of times, people get run over because they don't have the funds to hire a lawyer. As a registered charity, JCCF is funded 100 percent by voluntary donations.
Several of their cases involve religious groups renting properties and then having their rental contract cancelled because someone objects. "This is a discouraging pattern when governments start to impose anti-Christian or anti-Muslim philosophy," Carpay said. "The government has to be neutral and not discriminate on the basis of religion."
Many cases take years before they are presented and heard. For example, an Ontario police officer who was a constable for 15 years was forced to do 80 hours of unpaid work because he donated $50 to the convoy last February. JCCF is defending his case, but a year and a half later, it has not yet been decided.
Why do cases take so long? Carpay said it's because we have too few judges in Canada, and every judge is backlogged. "There's a long lineup of lawyers who would like to become judges," he said, but the federal government isn't appointing them.
A case that finally came to court-involved Jordan Peterson. The College of Psychologists took him to court because of political statements he made, involving two criticism of Trudeau and one of his chief of staff and Ottawa city counsellor. The terms decided were that Dr. Peterson undergo a coaching program, at his own expense, until he has been "appropriately remediated in the public interest."
Peterson responded in an online interview, saying, "As far as I can tell, the decision was made to stop me from having any political opinions."
It's just one example of why professionals are hesitant to voice their opinions. Journalist Andrew Lawton noted we're continuing to see the decline of free speech.
Lawton spoke to Josh Dahas from the Canadian Constitution Foundation, who said, what's at stake is the ability of any professionals (doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers) to participate in debates and whether what they say off duty on social media can lead to discipline in their professional capacity.
This is why Peterson is prepared to have his case out in open court and has the means, temerity and the desire to fight back. "If I'm accused of something, I'm inclined to rake myself over the coals to see if I did something beyond reasonable conduct," he said. But after a thorough examination, he is convinced he didn't do anything wrong.
Although it's true Peterson is forthright in his speech; he is also articulate, brilliant, courageous and not only espouses common sense but backs it up with logical and extensive evidence. Lawton observed while they're cracking down on Jordan Peterson, professionals who are on one side of the political spectrum remain completely untouchable by the regulatory college.
Carpay from JCCF said in a free society, you recognize that people will say things you don't like, and you choose how to respond. However, we're seeing people respond with name-calling, harassment, intimidation, notifying their employer and placing endless pressure on the individual, which can destroy their life. That is an unacceptable response.
When asked how people can fight for constitutional freedoms, Carpay gave this response. "The best way to preserve our charter of rights and freedoms is to exercise them. People need to exercise their freedom of expression. It's important not to get intimidated in this era of name-calling. It's important to practice courage and to calmly, politely, but firmly speak truth to power. It's super important to remain active in the democratic process. You have to be active; you can't be passive."
Whether we consider news good or bad, the need for open and honest debate on both sides of every issue is essential. It's called freedom of expression. Unfortunately, many Canadians are paying a price for simply expressing their opinions.