{"id":27261,"date":"2019-11-08T13:06:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T18:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=27261"},"modified":"2019-11-12T12:24:38","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T17:24:38","slug":"why-this-supreme-court-case-matters-for-your-right-to-speak-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/27261\/why-this-supreme-court-case-matters-for-your-right-to-speak-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Why this Supreme Court case matters for your right to speak out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether you\u2019re a climate activist, survivor of sexual violence or anyone else speaking truth to power, this case matters<\/em>.<\/h2>\n\n
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Individual activists and advocacy groups threatened by SLAPPs (strategic lawsuit against public participation), rally against corporate bullies in New York.
\u00a9 Michael Nagle \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Next week, Greenpeace Canada\u2019s legal beagles are\nheaded to the highest court in the land to defend the rights of people in\nCanada to speak out against injustice of all kinds.<\/p>\n\n

Right here at home, and around the world, we\u2019ve\nseen powerful groups try to protect the status quo by silencing those of us\nadvocating for change \u2014 whether that change is respect for human rights,\ndismantling white supremacy or policy to solve the climate emergency.<\/p>\n\n

Powerful people, governments and corporations have been turning to a whole range of dirty tricks to shut down their critics: criminalizing dissent, spying<\/a>, and legislating away our protection. One particular tool stands out: strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), which are meant to tie critics up in expensive, distracting and time-consuming court battles. They\u2019re also meant to scare others out of exposing any more wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n

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Read\nmore with the <\/em>Globe & Mail<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Financial Post<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>CBC<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Buzzfeed<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Our legal systems should be a bulwark of\nprotection against the harmful forces of rising populism, xenophobia and\ndisinformation. But there\u2019s a worrying gap in the way Canadian courts interpret\nlawsuits brought by powerful groups against their critics. Right now, there isn\u2019t\na good enough legal test to determine whether or not a case is SLAPP. This is a\nproblem because it makes it difficult to dismiss abusive lawsuits right away. <\/p>\n\n

This leaves people speaking truth to power vulnerable to retaliatory attacks. Every one of us \u2014 from Indigenous land and water protectors to civil society groups, environmental activists, whistleblowers, journalists, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and beyond \u2014 deserve adequate protection before the law.<\/p>\n\n

But there\u2019s another side to consider. It\u2019s not\nonly defendants in a legal case that matter. Less powerful groups have a right\nto bring to justice the perpetrators of violence, discrimination, hate speech,\nenvironmental crimes and Indigenous and other human rights violations.<\/p>\n\n

For example, cities on the frontlines of climate change in the USA are suing oil companies<\/a> who misled the public about the dangers their products posed to our climate for damages related to the impacts of the climate crisis. Canadian cities like Toronto<\/a>, Vancouver<\/a>, Victoria<\/a> are thinking about it.<\/p>\n\n

Curious about why cities like #Vancouver<\/a> and #Toronto<\/a> are looking into holding oil companies accountable for #climatechange<\/a>?

Check out what @climatekeith<\/a> has to say on @CANADALANDCMNS<\/a> >> https:\/\/t.co\/rKVFZ8jS6I<\/a>#6ReasonsToSue<\/a> #cdnpoli<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Greenpeace Canada (@GreenpeaceCA) August 26, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote>