F17 - A Fine Balance: Hate speech, freedom of expression and Canadian law.
Session Description
When does controversial or offensive speech cross over into hate speech? How do we reconcile rights around freedom of expression with protection from discrimination? Join BC Civil Liberties Association lawyer Meghan McDermott for an educational session explaining the legalities around hate speech in Canada. She will touch upon two legal provisions which are often referenced in discussion around hate speech: the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ section 2(b), guaranteeing freedom of expression, and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Speakers
Meghan McDermott, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
Biography
Meghan McDermott is Acting Policy Director at the BC Civil Liberties Association. She holds a B.A. in philosophy from Concordia University and an LL.M. from the University of Edinburgh. Meghan studied law at the University of Victoria in order to collaborate with others pursuing law reform to enhance social justice. She has worked as an advisor with the government of British Columbia, provided legal services for the government of Ontario, and interned as a legal analyst with the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights in South Africa.