TORONTO —
While Canada has demonstrated a growing commitment to international press protections, experts say legal battles over sources and an inadequate access to information system remain sticking points for Canadian journalists.
“The biggest problem in Canada is a negative attitude towards being open, a lack of political will to really open up government and to embrace the benefits that that brings,” Toby Mendel, executive director of the Centre of Law and Democracy, told CTV News ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Sunday.
Canada ranked 16th in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, which measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries globally, up two points from its 2019 ranking.
The index, compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders, commended Canada for its growing commitment to international press protections after launching the Media Freedom Coalition alongside the U.K. in July 2019.
However, the report notes that despite using the new federal “shield law” to protect journalists from revealing confidential sources in Supreme Court cases, reporter-source relationships have been threatened during other legal proceedings.
“A VICE national security reporter’s years-long legal battle ended with the Ontario Superior Court [ruling] that he must hand over his private communications with a publicly-named source to the federal police and VICE was forced to comply,” read the report.
“And while the federal police continued to block media access to environmental protests on Indigenous territories, a March 2019 landmark court decision that affirmed special considerations apply to journalists covering these types of events.”
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, experts say World Press Freedom Day is shedding light on how the global health crisis is being used by governments to increase restrictions on press freedoms.
A report released Sunday by the International Press Institute concluded that in both democratic and autocratic states the “public health crisis has allowed governments to exercise control over the media on the pretext of preventing the spread of disinformation.”
The organization said it has documented 162 press freedom violations related to coronavirus coverage over the past two and a half months, almost a third of which have involved the arrest, detention or charging of journalists.
“Freedom of expression and access to information are vitally important, even more so during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Journalists are working tirelessly on the front lines, at home, and abroad to report on a rapidly evolving global health crisis,” read a statement issued by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday.
“A free-thinking, independent, and respected media is the cornerstone of any democracy. One cannot exist without the other. That is why Canada continues to defend press freedom and condemn all attempts to stifle the press.”
Tim Houston, who is seeking a second term as Nova Scotia premier, said he had no plans to invite Poilievre to join him on the campaign ahead of the Nov. 26 provincial election. He explained the provincial Progressive Conservatives have no formal ties with the Tories in Ottawa — and he made a point of saying he is not a member of the federal party. Experts say it also is because the latest polls suggest Atlantic Canadians have not warmed to Poilievre. (Nov. 5, 2024)
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — It has been a rough few days for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. First, his 19th-ranked Tigers lost to Louisville on Saturday night, then he was told he couldn’t vote Tuesday at his polling place.
Swinney, whose given name is William, explained that the voting system had locked him out, saying a “William Swinney” had already voted last week. Swinney said it was his oldest son, Will, and not him.
“They done voted me out of the state,” Swinney said. “We’re 6-2 and 5-1 (in the Atlantic Coast Conference), man. They done shipped me off.”
Dabo Swinney had to complete a paper ballot and was told there will be a hearing on Friday to resolve the issue.
“I was trying to do my best and be a good citizen and go vote,” he said. “Sometimes doing your best ain’t good enough. You have to keep going though, keep figuring it out.”
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EDMONTON – The judge leading a fatality inquiry into the knockout death of a boxer is recommending changes to how the sport is regulated and how head injuries are monitored.
Timothy Hague, who was 34, competed in a boxing match licensed by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission in June 2017 when his opponent, Adam Braidwood, knocked him unconscious.
Hague came to and was able to walk to the dressing room, where he vomited, and was then taken to hospital where he underwent surgery for a large brain bleed.
His condition did not improve, care was withdrawn and Hague died two days after the fight.
Justice Carrie Sharpe with Alberta’s provincial court made 14 recommendations, including that combat sports be overseen by a provincial authority instead of a patchwork of municipal bodies and that there be concussion spotters at every event.
She also recommends that if a fighter receives a blow to the head in a technical knockout, they must provide a brain scan to prove they are fit to compete again.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
