This morning, the Justice Centre sent a letter to Wilfrid Laurier University’s president, Dr. Max Blouw, urging him to ensure free expression is upheld tonight during a scheduled discussion about free expression on campus.
The Laurier Students for Liberty (LSFL) previously booked room 2-101 of the Dr. Alvin Woods building on campus for the discussion event, titled “The Importance of Free Expression.” As part of the discussion, advocate and public speaker Justin Trottier will share his own experiences with censorship on campus.
Recent developments at the University of Waterloo and other Canadian universities have seen the disruption and cancellation of events by loud and unruly protesters. Rather than upholding the rights of students to express – and to listen to – the expression of all views, some Canadian universities have chosen to capitulate to mob rule and allowed events to be shut down by those who disagree with the opinions that would be expressed at the event. The University of Waterloo condoned the silencing of National Post columnist Christie Blatchford (2010) and MP Stephen Woodworth (2013). Both were invited to speak on campus, and in both cases campus security stood by and watched while loud and unruly protesters effectively forced the speaking engagements to be cancelled.
The Justice Centre is encouraging Dr. Blouw and administrators at Wilfrid Laurier to take the necessary measures in order to ensure that the right of the speaker and his audience to engage in the free exchange of ideas is protected.
Event Details:
When: Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Time: 7:30PM
Location: Room 2-101, Dr. Alvin Woods building, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON
