PEN Canada envisions a world where
writers are free to write,
readers are free to read,
and freedom of expression prevails
This charge is a misuse of a law which, in the context of international freedom of expression standards, itself should not exist. – John Ralston Saul
On November 19, 2012 PEN Canada voiced concerns that the “vague language of the Income Tax Act gives government officials discretionary powers that are overbroad and easily abused” with respect to determining the political activities in which charitable organizations can engage. PEN urged the federal government to reconsider the issue of “so-called ‘partisan’ activity by [...]
That’s to say, anybody’s a witch if you point at them and say they are. And that, of course, was the purpose and the nature of the witch hunt.
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PEN Canada today voiced concerns that current law and policy on partisan activities by charitable organizations muzzles political dissent and stifles public debate within Canada.
On PEN International’s 31st Day of the Imprisoned Writer, teams of PEN Canada volunteers will take to the streets of Toronto and invite pedestrians to be photographed holding large images of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, and Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo.
To better understand our age, and to be better positioned to offer the kinds of critiques and observations that PEN Canada should make, we’ll be examining freedom of expression via seven urgent issues, including digital freedom, access to information, libel, the chill on charities, and the silencing of scientists.
PEN Canada is pleased to continue our partnership with the International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto. This year’s project will focus on the sources of impunity in Central America, particularly for violence against journalists. Our report will examine relevant international human rights law in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and [...]
How the advocacy work of one PEN member became a children’s picture book Jennifer Lanthier’s new book tells the story of two young boys, one that grows up to be writer, the other a prison guard. Inspired by her work on behalf Honorary Members, Nurmuhemmet Yasin and Jiang Weiping, Lanthier’s story illustrates of the power [...]
No dimension of PEN Canada’s mandate is nearer to its very core than freedom of expression and censorship. Not out in the wider world, either but right here, here, at home, in Canada.
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Finding the Words: Writers on Inspiration, Desire, War, Celebrity, Exile, and Breaking the Rules