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C a n a d a 1.
CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK Under
the Constitution Act of 1982, Canada?s Charter of Rights and Freedoms
(?the Charter?) provides constitutional protection to freedom of
expression, including freedom of the press, ?subject to reasonable
limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free
and democratic society.? Specifically, section 2(b) of the Charter
guarantees that everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
?freedom
of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion
and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of
communication.? Any
government action that limits expression infringes the constitutional
right, but where important interests compete with this right, the
courts must determine whether a limit on the right is justifiable.
The courts will consider the importance of the competing interest,
the extent to which the infringing measure serves this interest,
and whether there is another means of serving the competing interests
which would be less restrictive to freedom of expression.
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