Canada: Supreme Court Expands Libel Defenses

by Stephen Clarke
Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor
January 13, 2010

http://www.legal-project.org/590/canada-supreme-court-expands-libel-defenses

Excerpt:

(Jan. 13, 2010) In late December 2009, the Supreme Court of Canada issued two decisions that widen the defenses available to communicators in defamation cases that are based upon material published on matters of public importance, by establishing a new defense of "responsible communication." The decisions apply not only to journalists, but also to bloggers who publish material on the Internet and even to persons who Twitter. The two decisions have been hailed by leading Canadian newspapers and broadcasters as a significant step in extending the right to free expression in Canada. (See, for example, Glen McGregor, Supreme Court Establishes New Libel Defence, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN, Dec. 22, 2009, available at http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Supreme+Court+establishes+libel+defence/2368569/story.html, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, New Libel Defence Allowed: Supreme Court, CBC News, Dec. 22, 2009, available at http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/12/22/supreme-court-libel-responsible-journalism-citizen-star.html.)

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