 
SASKATCHEWAN NURSE DISCIPLINED FOR PICKETING PLANNED PARENTHOOD
For having picketed the offices of the Planned Parenthood organization with signs declaring, among other things, that “Planned Parenthood murders innocent babies,” Saskatchewan nurse William Whatcott was discliplined by his profession’s licensing agency, the Saskatchewan Association of Licenced Practical Nurses (SALPN). Whatcott appealed to his province’s Court of Queen’s Bench, arguing that his picketing activity had nothing to do with his nursing activity and that, therefore, the discipline infringed his freedom of speech. The Court upheld the decision of the SALPN and Whatcott appealed to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. Intervening for CCLA, Special Counsel Andrew Lokan argued that the Court had to consider the fundamental guarantee of freedom of expression and the fact that the Appellant was expressing his opinion on a moral issue. Furthermore, while professional licensing agencies may have some power to regulate off-duty conduct, Lokan argued that the further the expression is removed from the member’s professional activity, the harder it should be to justify restrictions on speech. | CCLA In The Schools | Join Us | Feedback | Search | Other Interesting Sites | Home |
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