Examining the 2025 Federal Candidates on Free Speech, Religious Freedom, and Personal Inviolability: A First Freedoms Foundation Overview
As the 2025 Canadian federal election approaches, candidates are being called upon to articulate their positions on pivotal issues that affect the core freedoms of society. The First Freedoms Foundation has posed a set of comprehensive questions to federal candidates, focusing on three key areas: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the inviolability of the person. These questions aim to elicit candidates’ commitments and proposed policies on these critical topics.
Freedom of Speech: Protecting a Fundamental Right
Candidates are asked to detail their commitment to upholding free speech and whether they intend to reintroduce Bill C-63, a controversial piece of legislation from the previous government. Additionally, their stance on censorship, especially regarding online expression, is scrutinized. Candidates are challenged to demonstrate how they would ensure judicial oversight is not misused, balance discrimination protections with speech rights, and regulate social media without stifling free expression. Their support for whistleblowers, initiatives to foster diverse public discourse, approaches to hate speech, transparency in speech regulations, and engagement with civil society are also key points of inquiry.
Freedom of Religion: Ensuring Religious and Charitable Protections
In the realm of religious freedom, questions revolve around support for religious charities under the Income Tax Act, including those whose beliefs might not align with government views. Candidates are asked how they will address the status of organizations like Crisis Pregnancy Centres, safeguard religious charities from ideological restrictions, and prevent coercive governmental practices, as seen in past grant application processes. Further, candidates must clarify how they will protect against discrimination claims, advocate for freedom of religion laws, engage with religious communities, educate the public on religious rights, balance competing Charter rights, and prioritize policy directions in response to recent events affecting religious communities.
Inviolability of the Person: Addressing Technological and Ethical Challenges
As technological advancements, particularly in Artificial Intelligence, pose new ethical challenges, candidates must address their strategies for safeguarding individual rights. The questionnaire probes candidates on their plans to legislate against AI overreach, ensure AI accountability, and combat rights erosion from increased surveillance. Public education on AI ethics, legislation against AI-induced discrimination, transparency in AI governance, and promoting human dignity in AI policies are pivotal areas. Furthermore, candidates are encouraged to discuss international collaboration on ethical AI guidelines and articulate their long-term vision for technology’s role in society while maintaining human dignity.
Conclusion
In providing responses to these probing questions, federal candidates have the opportunity to delineate their vision for protecting fundamental freedoms in Canada. As voters consider their choices in the upcoming election, the insights provided by the First Freedoms Foundation’s questionnaire will serve as a valuable tool in assessing how each candidate plans to uphold and advance the rights and freedoms that are foundational to Canadian democracy. The answers will reveal much about the ethical and policy directions each candidate prioritizes, offering a clearer picture of how they intend to navigate the complex landscape of fundamental rights in an increasingly digital and diverse world.
Top of Form
Commitment to Freedom of Speech
- Free Speech Commitment: Do you commit to protecting freedom of speech in Canada, and how will you prioritize this? Do you plan to reintroduce Bill C-63?
- Opposition to Censorship: Will you oppose any legislation that restricts free speech, including online expression?
- Judicial Oversight: How will you safeguard against judicial misuse affecting speech rights as was proposed in the last Liberal Government’s Bill C-63?
- Balance of Protections: How will you ensure discrimination protections do not infringe upon free speech rights?
- Social Media Regulation: What is your stance on regulating social media platforms while protecting free speech?
- Whistleblower Protections: Will you support protections for whistleblowers and those speaking out against injustices including those of government?
- Promoting Public Discourse: What initiatives will you champion to encourage diverse perspectives in public discourse?
- Addressing Hate Speech: How will you approach addressing hate speech without compromising free expression?
- Transparency in Speech Regulations: What steps will you take to ensure transparency in formulating any proposed speech regulations?
- Engagement with Civil Society: How will you work with civil society organizations to ensure policies protect freedom of speech?
Commitment to Freedom of Religion
- Support for Charitable Sector: Do you support the Advancement of Religion as a Charitable Object under the Income Tax Act? Will you support the charitable status of religious organizations, even those with beliefs contrary to government views?
- Crisis Pregnancy Centers: What is your position on the charitable status of organizations like Crisis Pregnancy Centres?
- Protection of Religious Institutions: What measures will you propose to allow religious charities to operate freely without ideological restrictions?
- Advocacy Against Ideological Leverage: What steps will you take to prevent government coercive practices towards religious organizations via financial incentives such as was done by the last Liberal Government in the Canada Summer Jobs Grants?
- Response to Discrimination Claims: How will you protect religious groups from discrimination claims regarding the practice of their beliefs?
- Legislation on Freedom of Religion: Will you advocate for laws that explicitly safeguard freedom of religion in Canada?
- Engagement with Religious Communities: How will you engage with religious communities to understand their rights and needs?
- Educational Campaigns: What initiatives will you implement to educate the public and legislators on the importance of freedom of religion?
- Balancing Rights: How will you balance the rights of religious individuals with other Charter rights in cases of conflict?
- Future Policy Directions: What will be your policy priorities regarding freedom of religion in light of recent events such as: the burning of Christian churches, and the treatment of churches compared to corporate business during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Commitment to the Inviolability of the Person
- Upholding Inviolability: Will you commit to prioritizing individual rights in your policies? How will you incorporate this into your legislative agenda?
- Legislation Against AI Overreach: What specific measures will you propose to protect citizens from rights violations due to Artificial Intelligence advancements?
- AI Accountability: How will you hold AI developers accountable for their technologies’ ethical implications? Will you support regulations that uphold human dignity?
- Preventing Rights Erosion: What steps will you take to safeguard individual rights against increased surveillance and control from AI?
- Education and Awareness: How will you support public education on the ethical implications of AI and engage in discourse on these issues?
- Protection Against Discrimination: What actions will you take to legislate against discrimination resulting from AI-driven decisions in crucial areas?
- Transparency in AI Governance: How will you advocate for transparency in AI governance and decision-making processes?
- Human-Centric AI Policies: What is your vision for human involvement in AI decision-making? Will you promote policies emphasizing human dignity?
- International Collaboration: How will you collaborate internationally to establish ethical guidelines for AI development?
- Long-Term Vision: What is your vision for technology’s role in society aligned with human dignity and inviolability?
