The honour comes as the Campaign is slated to meet with the the Honourable Attorney General of British Columbia Niki Sharma on February 23. February 23 is also Student Press Freedom Day.
Previously, the Campaign met with the Honourable David Eby while he was Attorney General in April 2022, before he became Premier. The Campaign was pleased and excited by Eby’s enthusiasm for the Student Press Freedom Act and confirmation that the rights of student journalists are worthy of legislative protection. We hope for the same from our discussion with Attorney General Sharma.
Spencer Izen, Co-Campaign Director:
“Jessica and I are extremely grateful to the Book and Perioical Council and the Freedom of Expression Committee for recognizing our work on this important issue. As we know, all too often, student journalists are silenced for reporting and doing journalism in the interest of their communities. This confirms yet again that student journalists are real journalists.”
Jessica Kim, Co-Campaign Director:
“Both Spencer and I are very humbled to receive this award — we consider it shared among all student journalists in Canada. They are the ones who’s rights are constantly on the line in the face of schools like our own that don’t respect them. It is imperative that legislators take up this issue, beginning in B.C., where our advocacy is focused”
Freedom to Read Week
FTRW is an annual week-long campaign that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Despite having strong traditions of free expression and free inquiry, Canada periodically faces threats to both. The freedom to read, write and publish is crucial to the health of the literary arts in Canada, and every year FTRW draws attention to how that freedom can be stifled. Find more information at https://www.freedomtoread.ca/news/ to learn more.
The Book and Periodical Council
The Book and Periodical Council (BPC) is the umbrella organization that brings together a diverse range of organizations that support the written-word sector in Canada. The BPC runs many programs and services on behalf of its members and the publishing industry. You can check out their website, thebpc.ca to learn more.
Champions of Free Expresion
Since 2010, the group has honoured a Champion of Free Expression, described by the BPC as “someone who has made a major contribution to the defence or promotion of free expression in Canada.” Past recipients of the honour include A. Alan Borovoy, John Ralston Saul, Jessie Housty, Ronald Deibert, Dorothy Macnaughton, Desmond Cole and Robin Stevenson. Former Attorney General of B.C and now-Premier, David Eby, was the 2020 Champion of Free Expression following his work towards the passing anti-SLAPP legislation in B.C.
The Student Press Freedom Act
The Student Press Freedom Act is a proposed piece of legislation in British Columbia. If passed, it would be come Canada’s first student press protection law. It would establish statutory protections for student journalists’ freedom of expression and freedom of the press in public schools, in addition to the protection the they receive under section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It was developed in part with and has been endorsed by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, Canadian Association of Journalists, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Canadian Institute for Information and Privacy Studies, Canadian University Press, Institute for Public Education British Columbia, Privacy and Access Council of Canada, Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic, Student Press Law Center, and Toronto Metropolitan University Centre for Free Expression, as well as several B.C. student media, including the Tupper Times, Britannia Bruin, NWSS Student Press, Daily Wale, Alphajournalism, SSLS Press, Point Grey Journal, The Maritimes, as well as our own former Griffins' Nest.
CONTACT
Co-Campaign Directors Spencer Izen and Jessica Kim can be reached via spfacampaign[at]gmail.com
