Add your name and join our fight for anti-SLAPP legislation.
In Canada, the rich and powerful can use expensive lawsuits not to seek justice, but to silence critics, shut down debate, and avoid public scrutiny. These suits don’t even need to win in court to work. The threat alone is often enough to make people stay quiet.
Most Canadians can’t afford to fight back. And that’s exactly the point. Just defending yourself against an accusation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When fear of a ruinous lawsuit determines who gets to speak up, those in power get to shape what the public hears.
Canadians have the right to freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression. These are rights every Canadian should enjoy, not just the rich and powerful few.
There is a proven way to stop this. Anti-SLAPP legislation gives courts the power to dismiss malicious, politically motivated lawsuits before they can silence critics, scare journalists out of hardhitting reporting, or drain an ordinary Canadian’s resources. Some provinces have already acted, but most of the country still doesn’t have these protections. Our leaders have solutions. The question is whether they have the will to implement them.
The Broadbent Institute, alongside PressProgress, the Canadian Association of Journalists, Amnesty International, OpenMedia and over 100 other journalists and organizations have added their name to an open letter calling for anti-SLAPP legislation in Alberta. That’s because we believe in a Canada where everyone has a voice—where power is held accountable and ordinary people can speak up without fear.
But the work won’t stop with Alberta. The Broadbent Institute is committed to fighting for anti-SLAPP legislation nationwide and to strengthening and defending Canadian democracy. Will you fight with us?
Add your name and join us in demanding anti-SLAPP protections for every Canadian.