CJPME’s advocacy led to new context and an editor’s note being added to an article by CBC News about the controversial “anti-hate” legislation, Bill C-9.
The story focused on Conservative Party concerns about the bill as it pertains to religious exemptions for hate speech. However, there was no mention of the outcry regarding Bill C-9's threats to civil liberties, recently articulated by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), or the more than 40 civil liberties groups urged against Bill C-9 over fears of criminalizing political dissent and violating Charter rights. It also excluded the perspective expressed in a new report by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which warns about Bill C-9's "potential instrumentalization of a vague definition of what constitutes a terrorist symbol and its possible misuse to silence dissenting activism."
Such omissions reframe the public debate, downplaying the well-founded concerns of civil rights activists and Palestine advocates. CJPME brought these arguments to CBC’s standards team.
In response, CBC edited the piece, acknowledging that “Civil liberties groups including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have also raised concerns about the bill, arguing it could criminalize peaceful protest and silence unpopular expression.” An editor’s note highlights the clarification.
This is another example of how CJPME can effectively hold outlets to account by utilizing the journalistic standards and ethics to which many journalists are bound.