How could I not be grateful that I have the freedom to question the practices of my government through direct contact with politicians and through the press?
I always get very excited at election time. This is the moment when we can freely choose who will represent us, the moment when we play a vital role in the direction of our government. As I read statistics on voter turnout, however, I’m confused as to why others don’t share my enthusiasm. Perhaps I…
Freedom of speech, freedom of the press and academic freedom are core principles in the functioning of a democracy. Yet today those who embrace these ideals are seen as anti-American
Jewish-American songwriter Bob Dylan tells us, “Patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings.” We put democracy in peril when we equate questioning government policy with being unpatriotic or even racist. This is why the current situation in the United States is so puzzling. They actually established the international standard for good government…
The proposal to give $595 million in federal funding over five years to Canadian media organizations comes with significant strings attached
Much has been written about the federal government’s proposal to give $595 million in funding over five years to Canadian media organizations. This political strategy has been called everything from a financial life saver to a Liberal takeover/buyout of our news industry. While it’s hard to blame anyone in the media who is starving economically…
Freedom of expression in the arts is as fragile as freedom of the press, and it’s just as vital to human rights as freedom of thought
Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk said, “Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics.” Art has been a part of the human experience as long as there have been people. It’s served many purposes, from the practical to the philosophical. Great pieces of art offer an expression of beauty and human creativity.…
Freedom and democracy are not stand-alone structures. For stability, they require institutional infrastructure, in particular, the rule of law and tolerance
For the first time in decades, basic human freedom is under attack globally. Journalists and opposition leaders are killed in Russia. China’s Communist Party stifles dissent on the mainland while threatening the rule of law in Hong Kong. Tens of thousands are arrested in Turkey on dubious grounds after a failed coup. Venezuela descends into…
Broadcasting the Alex Jones interview was the right decision. All points of view, no matter how reprehensible, must be open for debate
Megyn Kelly made a big splash when she left Fox News for NBC in January. Her new show, Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly, which debuted on June 4, has received fairly positive reviews for interviews with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sportscaster Erin Andrews. The upbeat reception changed in a hurry when it was announced…
Western values for westerners has a nice ring to it. Let the rest of the world make their own value choices. It sure beats neo-colonial wars in distant lands
In five short months, Donald Trump has turned the world upside down. So what kind of new world order can we expect? Trump has attacked NATO (questioning its very existence), shredded trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris climate change…
We all need to speak out. At a time when mob justice is damaging intellectual enterprise, Canadian universities should be a model of inquiry and discourse
The protesters got their message out and all it cost them were a few bloody noses. The protest took place outside the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C., on May 17. The message that got out was one we knew already: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an anti-democratic thug. Videos of the incident show Erdogan’s…To argue that writers may not write from the perspective of another culture limits the broader culture’s imagination and understanding
It was a poorly lobbed joke that went off in Hal Niedzviecki’s hand. Last week, Niedzviecki wrote in a column for Write magazine that he was “exhausted” by the immutable whiteness of white Canadian authors. As a cure to this affliction, he proposed a contest to encourage writers to explore “the lives of people who…
The Notley government overstepped the boundary of a free and democratic society by attempting to ban Rebel website