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The Centre for Free Expression Podcast

The Centre for Free Expression Podcast

By: Centre for Free Expression
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Democracy is an ongoing public discussion about what is legitimate in our society — and what is not. That conversation doesn’t belong to any one group, and it cannot be settled once and for all. Democracy prospers when everyone has the right and opportunity to be informed and to participate in public discourse.

Every two weeks, the Centre for Free Expression Podcast explores important questions people have about our society, their rights to be engaged, their opportunities to be informed, the challenges to these rights and opportunities, and how we can overcome those challenges.

For more information about us and the work we do visit our website: https://www.cfe.torontomu.ca Sign up for our newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc435tv9 FOLLOW US: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CentreforFreeExpresssion Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/cfe_tmu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-centre-for-free-expression Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfe.tmu/Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Can Canadians' Rights Survive The Notwithstanding Clause
    Jun 29 2026

    The Charter of Rights and Freedoms made Canada a constitutional democracy in which unelected courts, not elected legislatures, have the final say about rights and freedoms. Yet Section 33 (the Notwithstanding Clause) was built in to let governments override the courts on certain matters. That clause has been contentious ever since – never more than now when it is increasingly being invoked to deny key democratic freedoms and human rights. Tune in to panel of leading legal experts to explore what’s a stake, what options are possible, and what they would mean for the future of Canada’s democracy.

    Panelists: Eric Adams (Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta), Anaïs Bussières McNicoll (Director, Fundamental Freedom Program, Canadian Civil Liberties Association), Richard Moon (Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor)

    Moderator: James L. Turk (Director, Centre for Free Expression)

    This conversation occurred on December 10, 2025 and was co-sponsored by Centre for Constitutional Studies and PEN Canada.

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    58 mins
  • Online Age Verification Poses Serious Dangers: What are our alternatives?
    Jun 15 2026

    Governments are increasingly requiring age verification for access to certain online content. In the name of protecting children online, systems for age verification create dangerous new forms of surveillance, censorship, and exclusion. Every system requires users to hand over sensitive personal information linking their offline identity to their online activity — valuable data easily leaked, hacked, or misused.

    Join Evan Light in his conversation with David Greene, Senior Counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, about the dangers and what should be done.

    This conversation occurred on Feb. 10, 2026 and was co-sponsored by Edmonton Public Library, PEN Canada, Toronto Public Library, and Vancouver Public Library.

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    50 mins
  • "We can't teach a book with that word in it": Reflections on the role of literature in society
    Jun 2 2026

    When prominent Canadian novelist Lawrence Hill learned his award-winning The Book of Negroes had been banned from classrooms by the London District Catholic School Board because of its use of the N-word, he was deeply troubled.

    Join Lawrence Hill in his conversation with author and McGill University Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies, Debra Thompson, exploring censorship and the role of literature in society.

    This conversation occurred on Feb. 5, 2025 and was co-sponsored by Edmonton Public Library, PEN Canada, The Writers’ Union of Canada, Toronto Public Library, and Vancouver Public Library.

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    44 mins
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