SLAPPing Free Speech July 15, 2026, 50 Min by Sandy and Nora
In this episode, Nora talks with Luke Lebrun, editor in chief of Press Progress, about SLAPP lawsuits and free speech in Canada.
Alberta Needs Anti-SLAPP Legislation
We, the undersigned, are Canadian journalists, digital media creators, writers, members of civil society organizations, labour unions, academia, the legal community and other Canadian citizens whose lives’ work is dedicated to advancing the public interest through our respective fields.
We believe critical journalism and a vibrant civil society are core pillars of a strong and healthy democracy. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees every Canadian the right to “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” However, these rights – which are foundational to Canadian democracy – are increasingly undermined by individuals and organizations that are using legal tactics to obstruct or suppress the work of journalists and others who speak up on issues about democracy.
In recent years, a growing number of journalists and media organizations in Alberta, as well as other digital media creators, civil society groups, academics, activists and political actors, have been subjected to legal threats and lawsuits over their reporting and commentary on issues of public interest.
Many of these legal threats and actions have been launched by individuals with clear political connections. Some threaten to bury media outlets with multimillion-dollar lawsuits while others try to misuse Alberta’s court system to scrub the internet of information that the public has a right to know.
When legal threats and lawsuits are used to chill speech or punish critical voices, this imposes significant costs and unreasonable financial pressures that erode our ability to do important work. Those costs mount even when lawsuits aren’t filed; the threat of lawsuits alone can deter journalists or influence what gets reported, even when the suits themselves would not be expected to succeed at trial.
Whether it’s a journalist investigating powerful people, a civil society group advocating for social change, or simply an ordinary person with opinions about their government, democracies need legal mechanisms to protect free and democratic speech from frivolous, abusive and politically motivated lawsuits.
There is currently no legislation enabling courts in the Province of Alberta to dismiss Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (or “SLAPP” lawsuits). However, such legislation already exists in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba.
Anti-SLAPP legislation creates an important step in the legal process that gives courts an opportunity to assess the merits and motives of a legal action at an early stage of proceedings, potentially sparing individuals and organizations targeted by SLAPP lawsuits from lengthy and expensive trials.
This legislation protects journalists and everyone else who speaks up in our democracy by creating a powerful deterrent against those using frivolous and politically motivated lawsuits to silence critics and instill fear in those who participate in public debate. It also prevents taxpayer dollars and limited court resources from being wasted on issues that should be debated in public, not litigated in court.
Anti-SLAPP legislation has been adopted with cross-party support in multiple provinces because these issues matter to everyone, regardless of partisan affiliation or personal political beliefs.
Most of all, anti-SLAPP legislation creates a stronger, healthier democratic culture.
We, the undersigned, call upon Alberta legislators to adopt anti-SLAPP legislation to protect democracy and public interest expression in the Province of Alberta.
Co-signed,
Media Associations and Press Freedom Groups
Alberta Magazine Publishers Association
Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association
Canada Press Freedom Project
Canadian Association of Journalists
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Canadian Media Lawyers Association
Canadian University Press
Friends of Canadian Media
Indigenous Journalists Association
Journalists for Human Rights
News Media Canada
PEN Canada
Press Forward
Reporters Without Borders
RTDNA Canada
Writers Guild of Alberta
Civil Society Groups
Amnesty International (Canada, English)
Broadbent Institute
Canadian Anti-Hate Network
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Canadians for Tax Fairness
Democracy Watch
Douglas Caldwell Layton Foundation
EcoJustice
Environmental Defence
Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
Miningwatch
OpenMedia
Parkland Institute
Public Interest Alberta
Labour Unions
CWA Canada
Canadian Media Guild
Canadian Freelance Guild
Edmonton District Labour Council
UFCW Canada
UFCW Local 1006A
Unifor
Unifor Canadian Freelance Union
Academia
Canadian Association of University Teachers
J-Schools Canada
Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations
Mount Royal Faculty Association
Media Organizations
Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network
Alberta Advantage
Alberta Jewish News
Alberta Native News
Alberta Views Magazine
The Breach
Canada’s National Observer
CJSW 90.9FM Radio
Harbinger Media Network
The Gateway
The Gauntlet
Great West Media (Publisher of Airdrie City View, Athabaska Advocate, Barrhead Leader, Cochrane Eagle, Lakeland Today, Rocky Mountain Outlook, Rocky View Weekly, St. Albert Gazette, The Albertan, Western Wheel, Westlock News and TownandCountryToday.com)
IndigiNews
J-Source
The Maple
Medicine Hat News
New Canadian Media
PressProgress
Progress Report
Relay
Ricochet Media
Taproot Edmonton
The Tyee
Individual Journalists, Digital Media Creators and Academics
Jeremy Appel (The Orchard)
Florence Ashley (University of Alberta)
Duane Bratt (Mount Royal University)
Timothy Caulfield (University of Alberta)
David Climenhaga (Alberta Politics)
Alex Cosh (The Maple)
Dave Cournoyer (Daveberta)
Liam Devitt (Alberta Advantage)
Max Fawcett (National Observer)
Rachel Gilmore (Bubble Pop)
Markham Hislop (Energi Media)
Adrian Harewood (Carleton University)
Erica Ifill (The Hill Times)
Ryan Jespersen (Real Talk)
Joël Laforest (Alberta Advantage)
Luke LeBrun (PressProgress)
Stephen Magusiak (PressProgress)
Brett McKay (Investigative Journalism Foundation)
Cara McKenna (IndigiNews)
Omar Mouallem (Alberta-based freelance journalist)
Dani Paradis (Alberta-based freelance journalist)
Kurt Phillips (Canadian Anti-Hate Network)
Sarah Rieger (BetaKit)
Michelle Robinson (Native Calgarian)
Brian Macleod Rogers (Lawyer)
Charles Rusnell (Alberta-based freelance journalist)
Kim Siever (Alberta Worker)
Euan Thomson (Drug Data Decoded)
Dave Toews (Alberta Advantage)
Michelle Traxel (Knitty Knits)
Mel Woods (Xtra)
Joe Vipond (University of Calgary)
Nate Pike (The Breakdown)