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World Press Freedom Day

Canadian Connections: Canada and Press Freedom

Freedom of the Press is enshrined in Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), part of the Canadian Constitution, which states that everyone has the right to "freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication" http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/index.html. The Government of Canada has taken steps to work for freedom of the press both at home and abroad, and to protect journalists and their works. Some specific Canadian Connections:

· In its annual Press Freedom Survey, Freedom House (www.freedomhouse.org) - an international non-governmental organization which works to promote democratic values worldwide - highlights Canada's tradition of broad press freedom and places it among the top twenty-five countries with a free press. At the same time, it expresses some concern over a few recent cases which appear to demonstrate that freedom of the press has declined slightly in Canada.

· Canada is taking a leading role within the Commonwealth to push for greater press freedom and to create a forum where cases involving freedom of the press could be raised.

· Advocates in Defence of Expression in the Media (www.adidem.org) was created in the fall of 1998 to allow coordination of efforts across Canada in enlarging freedom of expression on issues affecting the media.

· Several Canadian NGOs have been very active in the fight for press freedom and freedom of expression, both domestically and abroad. In particular:

Pen Canada (www.pencanada.ca) works on behalf of writers who have been forced into silence for writing the truth as they see it. PEN Canada lobbies governments in Canada and internationally, organizes petitions, sends letters, faxes, and postcards to call for the release of persecuted writers, and conducts public awareness campaigns about freedom of expression.

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (www.cjfe.org) is an independent association of journalists and others dedicated to freedom of expression which works towards the prevention of international occurrences of censorship, torture, arrest, abduction and murder of journalists.

The International Freedom of Expression Exchange (www.ifex.org) was founded in 1992 when many of the world's leading freedom of expression organizations came together in Montreal to discuss how best to further their collective goals. IFEX is made up of organizations whose members refuse to turn away when those who have the courage to insist upon their fundamental human right to free expression are censored, brutalized or killed. The nerve-centre of IFEX is the
Clearing House, located in Toronto.

The Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec (Québec Journalists' Federation - www.fpjq.org), which defends press freedom in Quebec and internationally, launched a new committee on World Press Freedom Day 1999, the Quebec Committee for Press Freedom, which is intended to contribute more actively to the defense of press freedom around the world.