MONTREAL — Following the Quebec Superior Court’s dismissal of an injunction application seeking the dismantlement of the encampment set up on the McGill University’s grounds as part of a student protest movement, Anaïs Bussières-McNicoll, Director of the Fundamental Freedoms program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) made the following statement:
This is an important decision for freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. The Quebec Superior Court found that there is currently no evidence of threat to the physical safety of individuals on campus. In this context, CCLA welcomes the Court’s decision to dismiss the injunction application.
While the University must take necessary steps to protect the physical safety of individuals on its campus, we must also remember the crucial importance of fundamental freedoms in our democracy.
Freedom of expression is critically necessary in our public spheres. It allows for engagement in public debates. It includes the right to take unpopular positions. History shows that persecuted minority and marginalized groups have particularly needed expressive freedom to communicate their concerns and bring others to their cause.
The freedom to peacefully protest is also a protected activity in our democracy. Such freedom is, at times, intended to cause disruption in order to be impactful. Strong protections for the right to peacefully protest are essential to meaningful debate and discussion.
Given the importance of these freedoms, any limits that might be imposed on them should be as minimal as possible. That is particularly the case in the context of university campuses. Universities are places where the free flow of speech, ideas and opinions has been – and should continue to be – encouraged and protected.
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Link to CCLA’s Know Your Rights Guide here
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
For the Media
For further comments, please contact us at media@ccla.org.
