Here are some examples of art censorship and what they can teach us about resistance.
freedom of expression
I call on the institution to proactively support its students, fostering spaces for open discourse and ensuring classrooms are safe environments for students to bridge academic concepts with real-world events without fear of suppression.
The University of Ottawa (UOSU) held its Board of Directors meeting on July 23, the fourth of the term. The seven-hour meeting included a student statement, the establishment of a communications commissioner, and a debate on the controversial freedom of expression motion.
While the racial slur itself was never used, L.D. said the discussion made them feel “extremely uncomfortable” and “unsafe.”
“The Committee is therefore against the exclusion of words, works or ideas in the context of respectful academic presentations and discussions whose educational goal is to promote the dissemination of knowledge,” wrote the Committee on Academic Freedom in its report.
“We’re leading consultations with the student body and with different stakeholders and will relay those comments to HRO. And I would be surprised that this was the last UOSU has to say on this file, given the nature of the document that was presented,” said UOSU president Tim Gulliver.
“The reason in question is that if all parties in a discussion have the freedom to speak their ideas without punishment, this prevents proponents of reprehensible ideas from becoming martyrs,” writes Quinn Sam, a second-year political science and economy student.
As Doug Ford’s deadline approaches for post-secondary institutions across the province to implement free speech policies, students and faculty share their thoughts and feelings.
Although this is a horrible practice, the act of trying to repress or alter information is useless, since it usually produces the opposite of its desired effect.
Is this new legislation putting a chill on our civil liberties, or can free speech be partially sacrificed in order to maintain a civil and safe society?
Now that Pewdiepie—the most popular face of the website—has taken such a public stand against vile trolling, perhaps YouTube will eventually revise its methods and figure out a way to weed out the trolls without suppressing constructive dialogue.
For the University of Ottawa to receive a failing grade on freedom of speech—no matter the source—violates two principle notions of university life.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has ranked the University of Ottawa among the worst in Canada in terms of freedom of expression.
