Free Expression

This podcast series is an intimate look at one of the most controversial topics in Canadian public discourse at the moment: free expression. The first season includes 11 episodes featuring in-depth interviews with a range of legal academics and experts. Blending academic insight with current affairs, the podcast will appeal to anyone interested in the law of free expression, and especially those wanting to make sense of contemporary politics. The series will address a number of important questions, including: Why is free expression so important for democratic societies? When can a state or community legitimately restrict expression? And why has debate about free expression become so polarized on university campuses and in society more broadly?

This Ain't Texas, It's TikTok 12/23/2024

This Ain't Texas, It's TikTok In the final episode of season two, you’ll hear a recording of a Centre for Constitutional Studies Event from the summer of 2024, titled ‘This Ain’t Texas, It’s Tiktok.’ The event features a discussion with Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and Emily Laidlaw, Associate Professor Law at the University of Calgary and Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law. With Dax moderating, Jameel and Emily discuss the regulation of big tech platforms and the different law and policy environments between Canada and the United States. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/34472430

What Happened to Our Public Discourse? 12/16/2024

What Happened to Our Public Discourse? In this episode, Dax speaks with Sabreena Delhon, Chief Executive Officer of the Samara Centre for Democracy. They discuss some of the threats faced by elected officials in Canada online and in person, the roots of our contemporary discontent, the fine line between free expression and a hostile public environment, and some ideas for strengthening Canadian democracy, among other things. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/34305160

Does Canada Suck at Free Expression? 12/09/2024

Does Canada Suck at Free Expression? In this episode, Dax speaks with David Schneiderman, Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of Toronto. They discuss the culture of free expression in Canada, the relative absence of scholarship examining free expression, the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence, major threats to free expression, university protest encampments, and the relevance of the Charter on campus, among other things. He also asks him about what he misses about the Centre for Constitutional Studies, as someone who helped build the centre we have today. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/34305095

Why Is Free Expression So ‘Fundamental?’ 12/02/2024

Why Is Free Expression So ‘Fundamental?’ In this episode, Dax speaks with Kristopher Kinsinger, a lawyer with SV Law’s Civil Litigation and Municipal Law practice group. They discuss the fundamental nature of free expression and its most compelling justifications, some Supreme Court jurisprudence, the intersection of free expression and other freedoms like equality, the new Online Harms Bill and human rights commissions, and the fraught politics of free expression right now, among other things. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/34096431

Do We Need More ‘Viewpoint Diversity’ in Our Universities? 11/25/2024

Do We Need More ‘Viewpoint Diversity’ in Our Universities? In this episode, Dax speaks with Christopher Dummitt, Professor of Canadian Studies at Trent University. They discuss the differences between academic freedom and free expression, some historical context for these concepts in Canada, recent research on self-censorship and viewpoint diversity, threats to open discourse on campus, the concept of institutional neutrality, and the prospect of government intervention, among other things. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/34096396

What Is Hate Speech and What Does It Do? 11/18/2024

What Is Hate Speech and What Does It Do? In this episode, Dax speaks with Irfan Chaudhry, hate crimes researcher and inaugural Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Hockey Canada. They discuss the legal definition of hate speech in Canada, the intersection of hate speech and digital technology, the challenges of defining and regulating hate speech, the potential unintended consequences of criminalizing hate, and some strategies for responding to hate in society, among other things. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/33888237

What’s the Difference Between Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly? 11/11/2024

What’s the Difference Between Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly? In this episode, Dax speaks with Josh Dehaas, Counsel with the Canadian Constitution Foundation. They discuss the historical origins of fundamental freedoms and some important cases in Canadian jurisprudence, the relationship between free expression and other fundamental freedoms like association and assembly, the legal definition and importance of peaceful assembly, some of the contemporary cases and challenges to freedom of assembly, and some of the current issues preoccupying the CCF at the moment, among other things. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/33778242

Is Free Expression a ‘Liberal’ Principle? 11/04/2024

Is Free Expression a ‘Liberal’ Principle? In this episode, Dax speaks with Eric Heinze, Professor of Law and Humanities at Queen Mary University of London. They discuss the ancient origins of free expression, philosophical justifications for free expression, contemporary challenges to free expression, the possibilities for a non-liberal version of free expression, the unintended consequences of censorship, the impact of the culture wars, and some thoughts from his most recent book, among other things. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/33519177

Has the Internet Fulfilled Its Democratic Promise? 10/28/2024

Has the Internet Fulfilled Its Democratic Promise? In this episode, Dax speaks with Jillian York, the Director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They discuss the technological optimism once associated with the Internet, the dual nature of technology enhancing and limiting our freedoms, the intersection of the digital free expression and need for moderating content and regulating platforms, the international dimensions of digital free expression, data commercialization, and misinformation, among other things. Links: /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/33518877

How Should Universities Respond to Free Expression Controversies? 10/21/2024

How Should Universities Respond to Free Expression Controversies? In this episode, Dax speaks with Emmett Macfarlane, Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. They discuss the politics of free expression in Canada and how it relates to the culture wars, the challenges of universities responding to free expression controversies on their campuses, and the task force at the University of Waterloo and its report, including how universities should approach protest encampments, divestment, extramural expression, institutional neutrality, and the relevance of the Charter. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/33425762

What Do Social Media Companies Owe Democracy? 10/14/2024

What Do Social Media Companies Owe Democracy? In this episode, Dax speaks with Emily Laidlaw, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Calgary and Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law. They discuss how social media has changed our public discourse, the legal obligations of social media platforms and how they’re regulated, the development of the Online Harms Bill and whether it addresses our policy problems in this area, and the complex balancing of free expression and harm reduction in an online environment, including controversial hate speech prohibitions in Canada. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/33425707

What Should Be Done About ‘Lawful but Awful’ Expression Online? 12/28/2022

What Should Be Done About ‘Lawful but Awful’ Expression Online? This bonus episode to wrap up season 1 features a conversation between Richard Moon, Carissima Mathen, and Emily Laidlaw focused on a consistent theme in the podcast: the challenges and complexities associated with online expression. Moderated by Dax, they discuss the problem of 'lawful but awful' online expression, potential law and policy responses, and how to create a (digital) public sphere that's safe and accessible. The event was hosted by the Centre for Constitutional Studies on October 17, 2022. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/25086750

Do We Have Too Much of a Good Thing? 12/14/2022

Do We Have Too Much of a Good Thing? In this episode, Dax speaks with Carissima Mathen, Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa. They discuss the legal and political landscape of free expression at the moment, the challenges of meaningfully regulating online expression, and the future of free expression in Canada. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/24688602

What Does Expressive Harm Look Like? 11/30/2022

What Does Expressive Harm Look Like? In this episode, Dax speaks with Ummni Khan, Associate Professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University. They discuss the subjective nature of expressive harms, the politics and perils of academic freedom, and the potential tensions between anti-oppression and free expression, among other things. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/24688575

Is There a Crisis on Campus? 11/16/2022

Is There a Crisis on Campus? In this episode, Dax speaks with Shannon Dea, Dean of Arts and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Regina. They discuss the contemporary politics of free expression, the nature and importance of academic freedom, and the alleged crisis of free expression on university campuses, among other things. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/24688560

What Does Freedom Mean? 11/02/2022

What Does Freedom Mean? In this episode, Dax speaks with Bruce Pardy, executive director of Rights Probe and Professor of Law at Queen’s University. They discuss the nature and importance of freedom in a democratic society, the legitimacy of legal restrictions on expression, and the relationship between free expression and equality, among other things. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/24688533

Does Social Justice Need Free Expression? 10/19/2022

Does Social Justice Need Free Expression? In this episode, Dax speaks with Faisal Bhabha, Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. They discuss different approaches to freedom that are consequential for free expression, the relationship between social justice and free expression, and his own academic freedom experience, among other things. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/24535404

Is Free Expression Really About Power? 10/05/2022

Is Free Expression Really About Power? In this episode, Dax speaks with Joshua Sealy-Harrington, Assistant Professor in the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University. They discuss the uses and abuses of free expression, how free expression is related to the unequal distribution of power in society, and how and why context is important for battles over free expression, among other things. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/24504957

Does Censorship Work? 09/21/2022

Does Censorship Work? In this episode, Dax speaks with James Turk, the Director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University. They discuss the important differences between free expression and academic freedom, why censorship sometimes doesn't work, and what's happening on university campuses, among other things. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/23997102

Is There a Future for Free Expression? 09/07/2022

Is There a Future for Free Expression? In this episode, Dax speaks with Richard Moon, Professor of Law at the University of Windsor and author of several books about free expression in Canada. They discuss some of the challenges facing free expression at the moment, how approaches to free expression are changing, and what can be done, if anything, to improve public discourse. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/23996967

How Is Free Expression Protected in Canada? 08/24/2022

How Is Free Expression Protected in Canada? In this episode, Dax speaks with Jamie Cameron, an expert on Canadian constitutional law who recently retired from Osgoode Hall Law School after more than three decades of teaching and research. They discuss legal protections for expression, the culture of free expression in Canada, and some important court cases, among other things. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/23997015

Is There a Free Expression Recession? 08/10/2022

Is There a Free Expression Recession? In this inaugural episode, Dax provides an introduction for the series, explaining the concept of free expression, its importance for democratic societies, and why it's the focus of so much controversy recently. The episode also features an interview with Jacob Mchangama, author of a new book about the history of free expression, titled Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media. Audio post-production by Mike Contos. Music by Truth and Fact by Hans Atom (copyright 2022). Special thanks to Richard Mailey and Patricia Paradis. /episode/index/show/c2adcda5-e19a-4165-9e38-49e12d19052b/id/23996571

Free Expression

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