 
Government Barred From Suing for Defamation The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled in January that governments do not have the right to sue for defamation. As previously reported in CCLA News Notes, the eastern Ontario Township of Montague had sued one of its residents because of certain comments he made when he publicly criticized the township fire department. The week after CCLA representatives Sydney Goldenberg and Josh Paterson were barred from speaking at a meeting of Montague's council, CCLA intervened in the court hearing. CCLA Special Counsel Ryder Gilliland argued that governments cannot bring defamation actions because that would unwarrantedly hamper freedom of expression. Mr. Justice Kenneth Pedlar agreed, writing that "In a free and democratic system, every citizen must be guaranteed the right to freedom of expression about issues relating to government as an absolute privilege, without threat of a civil action for defamation being initiated against them by that government." He dismissed the township's lawsuit, and the township has since abandoned the legal action. | CCLA In The Schools | Join Us | Feedback | Search | Other Interesting Sites | Home |
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