What is going on with freedom of speech in Canada?

Recently I was interested to read an item questioning the quality of free speech in America in the People's Daily Online English edition from China.

The article is written by Rong Xiaoqing, a Chinese journalist based in New York, and reflects upon the fact that there are surprising limits to free speech in America, although U.S. journalists enjoy relatively strong freedom of speech rights, in comparison even to other other western countries, let alone China.

The author explains how people in a multitude of corporate and government situations are routinely muzzled and prevented from speaking to the press even on subjects unrelated to their jobs.

For example, he says: "In New York the 130,000 teachers in the public schools are not allowed to talk to reporters before getting approval from the Department of Education."

None of this comes as a surprise to Canadians. In fact most of us could come up with numerous examples of similar restrictions in our country. This may or may not be entirely acceptable in theory, or in law. In practice, a lot of people just tend to avoid rocking the boat when the rewards for doing so are doubtful and the potential consequences can be severe. They can also be insidious, lingering, cloaked or unexpected.

"Discretion is the better part of valor" - is not a clause in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Yes, "discretion is the better part of valor" is often a smart way to conduct oneself.

But, this folk saying does not describe the law of the land, nor is it a clause in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

A few things have got me pretty worried

1. I heard that Vancouver passed a by-law that you are not allowed to protest the Olympics. (or anything at all? or even put up a sign?)

2. I heard that Alberta is or was contemplating censorship of films critical of the Tar Sands.

3. I heard that the Stephen Harper government has abruptly canceled funding for Kairos, a Canadian human-rights organization, purportedly because its work doesn't meet current priorities of the Canadian International Development Organization. However many are speculating that Kairos' stand on certain issues such as Copenhagen and the Tar Sands is what got them into trouble.

4. I heard that the City of Montreal canceled a work of public art on Ile des Soeurs that had gone through a rigorous selection process and was already nearly completed, just because there was some vocal opposition (since when did irrational pretensions become valid qualifications for Joe citizen to influence public art space?) and supposed safety concerns. (apparently this artwork, entitled "Milieu Humide" or Wetlands is now on a reprieve, pending a study that will assess its safety)

"Milieu Humide"

5. I also saw an extremely worrisome report that indicated the Conservative government will be evaluating the political stance of all types of groups before doling out funding.

6. Local newspapers and many other sources of news are dying out. This is going to come to a head in the near future and it is democracy that stands to pay the price. School boards and various councils across the country are already operating without the presence of journalists. Sooner or later these politicians will feel the need to exclude journalists altogether.

All of these situations are worrisome. The Olympics issues are still playing out in Vancouver under quite a bit of exposure. In Alberta, a sizable chunk of the population spends so much time watching Faux News that they are still oblivious to the Tar Sands facts in front of their noses. Science funding tied to outcomes that the Reform Conservative government is interested in is becoming a major issue in Canada. And so forth.

My sense is there is a dangerous proliferation of attempts to unduly control what we think, say and do. Please be aware and do something about it if you can. Sometimes valor is the better part of discretion.