The Supreme Court of Canada says that “the law must accommodate commentators such as the satirist or the cartoonist who… exercise a democratic right to poke fun at those who huff and puff in the public arena.” 

However, the law often appears to be more on the side of those who seek to stifle the expressions of politically active satirists, artists, and citizens. 

Freedom of Speech Under Siege was the title of a recent forum organized by the Seriously Free Speech Committtee.

Micheal Vonn is Policy Director of the BC Civil Liberties Association.  She spoke on how SLAPP suits are used to intimidate citizens.  [1:46 - 16:17]

Gordon Murray is co-creator of a parody of The Vancouver Sun which targeted the strong pro-Israeli bias in CanWest/Global's coverage of the Middle East.  He is now the target of a SLAPP suit.  [16:49 - 33:22]

Deborah Campbell is a journalist on the Middle East and author of the book This Heated Place,
Encounters in the Promised Land.   [33:58 - 45:01]

Kimberly Baker is a Vancouver artist whose art incorporates social and political commentary, particularly about the 2010 Olympics.  [45:26 - 54:00]