Centre for Free Expression

Canada's democratic standing has fallen significantly over the past decade, according to one of the world's leading measures of democratic health.

In our latest blog post, CFE Director James L. Turk examines the findings of the 2026 V-Dem Democracy Report and explores how growing executive power and weakened democratic safeguards may be contributing to the decline.

🔗 Read here: https://buff.ly/aQf7ajD

Twenty-one civil liberties organizations, privacy groups and individual experts expressed their deep alarm that, late last night, the federal government cut off debate at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on the very controversial Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act.

Bill C-22 raises very significant privacy and security concerns, including that it will:

- Grant police easier access to Canadians’ personal information;
- Allow the government to force companies to create backdoors so police and spy agencies can scoop up our personal data and communications, making online protections like encryption meaningless;
- Allow the government to order companies to hold on to our personal information for up to a year, creating a treasure trove of data that would serve as a digital map of everyone in Canada, and could be misused, leaked, or targeted by hackers; and
- Risk more of our information being shared with US intelligence and law enforcement agencies, including for the investigation of acts that are legal in Canada.

Read the full news release here: https://buff.ly/PrgcHg6

Signatories:

International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group; OpenMedia.org; Ligue des droits et libertés; Privacy and Access Council of Canada; Le Centre de réfugiés - The Refugee Centre; British Columbia Civil Liberties Association; Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes; Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council; BC Freedom Of Information and Privacy Association; Clinique pour la justice migrante / Migrant justice clinic; Start Point Organization; Canadian Civil Liberties Association; Council of Canadians; IFEX; Safiyya Ahmad, Lawyer; Noura Aljizawi, Senior Researcher, Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto; Ron Deibert O.C., O.Ont., Professor of Political Science and Director of the Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto; Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law; Ümit Kiziltan, Researcher; Kate Robertson, Senior Research Associate, Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto

📣 Check out our latest blog post, “When Consent Culture Becomes a Hockey Heckle,” by CFE Senior Fellow Ummni Khan.

Writing from the perspective of a feminist hockey fan, Khan reflects on the “No means no” chants directed at Vegas goaltender Carter Hart during the Stanley Cup Final. While many fans saw the taunt as a form of accountability, Khan says that turning a hard-won feminist slogan into a hockey heckle does little to address the broader culture that enables sexual violence.

🔗 Read here: https://buff.ly/i50J6UR

The latest episode of The Centre for Free Expression Podcast, on the dangers of online age verification, is out now.

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.

Tune in to Evan Light's 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.

Apple Podcasts: https://buff.ly/l5uaOmc
Spotify: https://buff.ly/OQWODPt
Amazon: https://buff.ly/kPzxKIQ
iHeart: https://buff.ly/4XMQ2RG

Lita Barrie, Chair of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations/Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques (CFLA-FCAB) is joining the Centre for Free Expression’s Advisory Board, replacing Andrea Cecchetto, the outgoing CFLA/FCAB Chair.

Lita has served as CEO of Burlington Public Library for the past eight years. She plays an active leadership role at both provincial and national levels, currently serving not only as Chair of CFLA-FCAB, but also as President of the Ontario Library Association, and Program Coordinator for the Canadian Urban Libraries Council / Conseil des bibliothèques urbaines du Canada Public Library Leaders Program. She holds a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from McGill University and is committed to continuous learning and professional advancement.

Read the full announcement here: https://buff.ly/xnjDjRf