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TORONTO, ONT., Sept 20, 2023 /CNW/ - The announcements that Ontario community newspaper publishers Metroland Media Group and Quebec-based Métro Média have gone bankrupt will see fewer journalists covering large swaths of Ontario and Quebec. This is yet another devastating blow to an industry increasingly hanging by a thread.  “These are catastrophic losses for media workers and Canadians who live in smaller communities,” said Brent Jolly, president of the [...]

TORONTO, ONT., September 6, 2023 /CNW/ - The increasing state of precarious employment sweeping across the Canadian journalism industry is an issue that will lead to devastating social impacts if it’s not stopped.  “Journalists perform a critical role in democratic societies,” said Brent Jolly, CAJ president. “Without journalists, Canadians will become less informed about important news and current affairs. The intrepid work of journalists helps to hold the powerful [...]

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 31, 2023 /CNW/ - The below is a letter sent by the CAJ, in tandem with other prominent Canadian press freedom groups, to the Conservative Party of Canada in response to The Breach not being given media accreditation to attend the party’s upcoming convention. August 31, 2023 Mme. Sarah Fischer Director of Communications Conservative Party of Canada 1800-66 Slater Street Ottawa ON K1P 5H1 Delivered by [...]

TORONTO, ONT., August 2, 2023 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls on Meta to reverse its reckless, ill-advised decision, announced yesterday, to soon prevent Canadians from viewing or sharing news articles on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.  “Democracy cannot flourish, let alone exist, without its citizens having access to accurate and quality information to help them make important decisions about how to live their lives,” said [...]

TORONTO, ON., Apr. 27, 2023 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is going to court to oppose an unreasonable police attempt to force a Toronto filmmaker to turn over his interviews and source material. In March, the CAJ publicly condemned the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)’s demand that Jamie Kastner hand over the raw footage of 17 interviews he conducted while preparing his TVO documentary “There Are No [...]

TORONTO, ON, Mar. 28, 2023 - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) strongly condemns the actions of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in forcing a Toronto filmmaker to turn over his interviews and source material related to a 2019 documentary. Last November, the OPP served Jamie Kastner with a production order, forcing him to provide police with all the raw footage of 17 interviews he conducted in preparing his [...]

OTTAWA ON, March 15, 2023 / The Canadian Association of Journalists is pleased to announce the launch of the 2023 Canadian Newsroom Diversity Survey — Canada’s annual national media diversity survey.  This is the third year that the survey is being sent out to newsroom leaders nationwide. Last year’s survey saw 242 media outlets participate in the survey.  “The Canadian Newsroom Diversity Survey is a critical exercise to help [...]

TORONTO, ON, Feb. 23, 2023 - Google’s efforts to prevent some Canadians from accessing news on its platform under the auspices of “rebalancing the power dynamics in the digital news marketplace” is a harmful act that amounts to taking the public hostage in its efforts to undermine legislation currently being studied by the Canadian Senate. On Wednesday, Google told The Canadian Press that it is temporarily limiting access to [...]

VANCOUVER, B.C., Feb. 13, 2023 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) strongly supports the legal action brought forward in the Supreme Court of British Columbia earlier today by Amber Bracken and The Narwhal against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and related parties for alleged violation of their rights under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  The lawsuit stems from the arrest of Bracken, an award-winning photojournalist, while [...]

OTTAWA, Dec. 21, 2022/ CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is pleased to release the findings of its second annual national Canadian Newsroom Diversity Survey.  The CAJ collected data on 5,012 journalists from 242 newsrooms across radio, television, digital and print media in Canada. This is up from 3,873 journalists at 209 newsrooms in the inaugural 2021 survey results. The CAJ worked with data and analytics experts [...]

Update to this story: https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/judge-denies-saskatchewan-request-for-publication-ban-during-saulteaux-sisters-bail-hearing/ REGINA, November 23, 2022/ CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls on the Government of Saskatchewan, and the province’s minister of justice and attorney general, to withdraw its unnecessary application for a sweeping publication ban that would prevent journalists from reporting on the upcoming bail hearing for a pair of Saulteaux sisters in a possible wrongful conviction case. Sisters Nerissa and Odelia [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is renewing its support of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in his fight to avoid extradition to the U.S. on Espionage Act charges. The CAJ joins numerous other journalism and human rights organizations in calling on Britain to drop its efforts to extradite him, and on the U.S. to abandon the charges. Assange faces up to 175 years in jail for publishing classified documents [...]

UPDATE: Please see PDF for response from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Sept. 1, 2022 The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. Prime Minister of Canada 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2 Delivered by email Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, We are writing in relation to the increasing and alarming online hate and harassment targeting journalists and journalism as a profession. This is a global problem, which threatens not only the safety [...]

WINNIPEG, MB, August 12, 2022 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists is disturbed by new information about a neo-Nazi plot to kill a Winnipeg Free Press journalist, and calls on the RCMP to clarify what information it had obtained from U.S. police and what steps it took to investigate the murder plot. In 2019, Ryan Thorpe went undercover to expose Canadian Armed Forces reservist Patrik Mathews as a [...]

Dear Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell and Toronto Police Chief James Ramer, With copies to: David Lametti, Minister of Justice Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety Pablo Rodriquez, Minister of Canadian Heritage Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Brenda Lucki, Commissioner of the RCMP Doug Downey, Attorney General of Ontario We are writing in relation to several police reports filed in Ottawa and Toronto [...]

July 11, 2022- The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is pleased to announce that 199 media outlets have committed to participating in the 2022 Canadian Newsroom Diversity Survey, a landmark annual snapshot of the country’s media demographics. The survey measures the race and gender of journalists working in newsrooms nationwide. Last year, the CAJ collected data on 3,873 journalists working at 209 media outlets. So far this year, 143 [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) will be offering free membership for a period of up to three years to any Afghan journalist who left Afghanistan after May 1, 2021 and settled in Canada.  The CAJ has spoken up in the past about Canada’s obligation to support Afghan journalists, many of whom have risked their personal safety to help Canadian reporters bear witness and report safely during the Afghan [...]

For its persistent efforts to impede the free flow of information to the public, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the law enforcement category. The Mounties received an unprecedented double-citation from this year’s jury. The first citation was bestowed on the RCMP for their efforts to impede journalists from [...]

The CAJ is concerned about recent accounts of police interference with journalists reporting in Ottawa. The following is an open letter from CAJ president Brent Jolly to Ottawa Police Service Chief, Steve Bell. If you are a reporter in need of assistance, please reach out to us.  Dear Mr. Steve Bell, interim Ottawa Police Service Chief, I'm writing to you in my capacity as national president of the Canadian [...]

Stratford City Council has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the municipal category. For more than two years, the Stratford City Council circumvented basic transparency measures as it held secret in-camera meetings and failed to properly report discussions and planning undertaken with Xinyi Canada Glass, the Canadian subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Xinyi Glass Holdings, to build [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) applauds the outstanding efforts of a group of secondary school student journalists to make the Student Press Freedom Act (SPFA) law in British Columbia.  “In a time when institutions are increasingly throwing up roadblocks to prevent journalists, of all ages, from speaking truth to power, the spirit and intent of this bill is a critical step to upholding the fundamental rights to a [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) and the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) have released “Poisoned Well,” the troubling findings of an industry roundtable on journalists and online hate.  “Freedom of the press is integral to a healthy democracy,” says Natalie Turvey, CJF President and Executive Director. “The online abuse suffered by too many journalists today goes well beyond critical discourse and, in many cases, harms their safety and well-being [...]

British Columbia Premier John Horgan, Minister of Citizens’ Services Lisa Beare, and the provincial government of B.C. have been selected as the 2021 recipients of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the provincial category.  The B.C. government was selected as the winner for its efforts to materially harm the public’s right to information through new legislation. On October 18, 2021, the Horgan government [...]

The Canadian Association of journalists (CAJ) is deeply concerned about the alarming rise in harassment and threats against journalists covering the Ottawa occupation protests and similar demonstrations across the country.   “We welcome thoughtful criticism and discussion of journalists’ work but threatening, harassing, physically intimidating, or throwing objects at journalists reporting on these protests has no place in a free country like Canada and is completely unacceptable,” said CAJ president [...]

Indigenous Services Canada has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the federal category.  Indigenous Services Canada is recognized for its ongoing failure to provide details surrounding test results of drinking water in many Indigenous communities, as well as contracts negotiated with private water companies requested under Canada’s federal Access to Information Act.  Numerous requests have been [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is encouraging newsroom leaders to take preemptive action to ensure that the safety of journalists is protected in the wake of increasing threats made against reporters covering the ongoing trucker’s convoy.  This week, the CAJ has been alerted to several troubling incidents from journalists in the field.  Journalists have received death threats littered with racist epithets. Others have been spat on and verbally [...]

The CAJ is extremely concerned about two Canadian journalists, Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano, who were illegally arrested on Nov. 19 and remain in custody three days later. The CAJ demands their immediate release, the return of their belongings, and for the RCMP to drop all charges.   More than 40 news outlets and press freedom organizations have signed on to the below letter, calling for Canada’s public safety minister [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) demands the RCMP immediately release award-winning photojournalist Amber Bracken and documentarian Michael Toledano from police custody with their belongings. The two were illegally arrested by RCMP officers late yesterday afternoon while reporting on the construction of a contentious natural gas pipeline in Wet’suwet’en territory in northern British Columbia.   “As was the case this past summer in Fairy Creek, and several other instances before [...]

The CAJ is very concerned about recent accounts of police interference with journalists reporting from Wet'suwet'en. The following is an open letter from CAJ president Brent Jolly to the B.C. RCMP. If you are reporting from the ground and need assistance, please reach out.  Dear Dawn (Roberts), Chris (Manseau), Madonna (Saunderson), and Janelle (Shoihet), I hope this note finds you well. I'm writing to you in my capacity as [...]

The results are in and they are, sadly, what we expected: Canadian journalists are increasingly under attack online The first-ever Canadian survey of online harassment against journalists and media professionals shows that attacks are on the rise and having serious repercussions on both individuals and the industry as a whole. The results of the Ipsos survey were shared with participants at the #NotOK — Stand Up for Journalism and [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is pleased to announce it is joining the Coalition Against Online Violence effective immediately.  As a member of the coalition, the CAJ will work with journalism organizations around the world to identify solutions for the ongoing problem of online abuse and harassment faced, in particular, by female journalists and journalists of colour.  The CAJ is the first Canada-specific journalism organization to be accepted [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls on B.C. Premier John Horgan’s government to immediately reverse course and abandon its outrageous plan to impose a $25 tariff on requests for information made under the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.    The proposed legislation, Bill 22, was tabled in the provincial legislature on October 18 by Lisa Beare, the minister of citizens’ services. In addition to the [...]

The CAJ is partnering with the Freedom of the Press Foundation to host a digital security workshop for journalists on Nov. 4, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. ET. CAJ members can register here to attend. Please note that space is limited and registration is required to attend the event.  This session will provide an introduction to account and device security to help journalists better protect themselves and their sources. Topics [...]

Supporting reporters who continue to receive an onslaught of hateful emails and messages targeting their identities is deeply important to the CAJ. We have heard from many journalists who are looking for resources to help cope with the impact of receiving hate, which includes threats of sexual assault, other forms of violence, and death. First, we want to emphasize that the onus is not solely on an individual journalist [...]

This past Sunday, the CAJ’s board of directors met virtually for our quarterly board meeting. As always, there was much to discuss: planning for our 2022 national conference in Montreal, readying next year’s awards program, preparing for the rollout of our soon-to-be-released diversity survey, and plans for launching the next round of our mentorship program that opens Oct. 25.  One of the major items on our agenda, however, was [...]

A strong, diverse media is vital for a well-informed, democratic society. While criticism is an integral part of journalism and democracy, there can be no tolerance for hate and harassment of journalists or for incitement of attacks on journalists for doing their jobs. That these attacks inordinately target women and racialized journalists speaks to the motivation of the people engaging in this behaviour. We are united in supporting our [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls for swift and decisive action from authorities in response to a recent wave of targeted threats made against multiple Canadian journalists. Last week, Maxime Bernier, the leader of the People’s Party of Canada, publicly urged his followers on Twitter to ‘play dirty’ with journalists who were requesting comments around the party’s ties to the far right. Bernier proceeded to specifically target three [...]

On this Right to Know Day, the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls on the federal government, provincial governments, municipalities, and other publicly-funded agencies, once again, to take meaningful steps towards implementing long-sought solutions to ensure the right to know of Canadians is respected.  To mark #RTK2021, the CAJ is working with the Public Service Information Community Connection (PSICC) on their Right to Know Week festivities. The CAJ will [...]

On Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada released an important decision on the public’s right to know about court proceedings. A coalition of press freedom groups, including the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), intervened in the appeal. The coalition is pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision. It helps ensure that publication bans will not escape challenge by journalists and scrutiny by the courts. In Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Manitoba, [...]

Four federal parties have responded to questionnaires submitted on behalf of more than a dozen press freedom and public interest advocacy groups, including the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), to explain how their governments would implement long-overdue reforms to Canada’s archaic access to information system.   Each federal party was sent a survey containing five questions ranging in subject from how their party would amend laws to provide greater access [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is thrilled to partner with the Public Service Information Community Connection (PSICC) that is organizing the 2021 Right to Know Week activities across Canada. On September 29, CAJ president Brent Jolly will be moderating a panel discussion with emerging and established journalists about both the strengths and weaknesses of the #cdnfoi system and ideas for reform. Panelists include: Alexander Quon was born and [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls on all party leaders to explain how their government would implement long-overdue reforms to Canada’s archaic access to information system during tonight’s French-language and tomorrow’s English-language federal leaders’ debates being held at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.  “Canadians’ right to know is so frequently poorly-served by our crumbling federal access to information system,” said CAJ president Brent Jolly. “Looking [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) continue to press the federal government to cut unnecessary ‘red tape’ and uphold its obligation to support Afghan journalists, and support workers, who risked their personal safety to help Canadian reporters bear witness and report safely during the nearly two decade-long conflict.  On August 20, the CAJ and CJFE, with the support of dozens of news [...]

Over the past several days, the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) have been working, with the support of multiple Canadian news organizations, to inform the federal government of their duty to support Afghan journalists and support staff who made our work possible. The return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan has placed many residents of that country in grave danger. [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) strongly condemns the recent arrest of a photojournalist by RCMP officers at the Fairy Creek watershed on Vancouver Island. The CAJ is dismayed by the actions of the RCMP, which took place just days after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ordered police not to interfere with media access absent a bona fide operational reason for doing so.  On Tuesday morning, RCMP arrested photojournalist [...]

Nanaimo, July 20, 2021/CNW/ - Today’s decision by the British Columbia Supreme Court to grant an application to modify an injunction, which was brought forward by the Canadian Association of Journalists, in partnership with a coalition of news organizations and press freedom groups, is a resounding affirmation of media rights and the vital role journalism plays in upholding the public interest.   The press coalition had asked the court to [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls on Toronto authorities to immediately drop all restrictions placed on Canadian Press photojournalist Chris Young and commit publicly to stop arresting reporters covering the removal of homeless encampments.  “This is the second time in less than 30 days where a Toronto journalist has been handcuffed and detained simply for doing their job,” said CAJ president Brent Jolly. “This is yet another attempt [...]

With the horrific news that 751 unmarked graves have been found at Marieval Indian Residential School, the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) urges Canadian newsrooms to carefully report on the tragedy without doing further harm to survivors. Please heed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action for media. "The media has a role to play in ensuring that public information both for and about Aboriginal peoples reflects their [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) condemns the Toronto Police's attempts to obstruct multiple journalists from scrutinizing their activity in a public park today, including the detention of one photojournalist.  Five journalists at the scene told the CAJ that their access to the fenced areas in the park was blocked by police. One freelance photojournalist who was wearing a vest with “news” written on it said he was shoved [...]

A coalition of news organizations and press freedom groups, including the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), plan to file a legal application seeking the court’s assistance to allow journalists substantive access to cover a demonstration against the logging of an old-growth forest currently taking place in the Fairy Creek watershed, near Port Renfrew, B.C. In addition to the CAJ, the coalition includes Ricochet Media, The Narwhal, Capital Daily, Canada’s [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is respectfully calling on courts to limit the powers of the RCMP, and other police agencies, when issuing injunctions. This call comes after the RCMP temporarily blocked media access to the Fairy Creek watershed, near Port Renfrew, B.C., yesterday as police were set to enforce an injunction and remove demonstrators who have been blocking logging of an old-growth forest since last summer.  “The [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is dismayed by BuzzFeed’s abrupt decision to shutter HuffPost Canada and HuffPost Québec yesterday.  Journalists from both outlets were alerted to the closure when HuffPost Canada’s website was abruptly shut down with a message, in both English and French, that declared no new journalism would be produced. About two dozen full-time Canadian journalists will be out of work effective March 15, an employee [...]

The Ottawa Police Service has been named as the recipient of the 2020 Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the law enforcement category.  The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is being recognized for its complete and utter violation of both the spirit and intent of Freedom of Information legislation. As reported in The Ottawa Citizen, a grieving family applied to the Ottawa Police Service, under [...]

The City of North Bay, Ont., has been named as the recipient of the 2020 Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the municipal category.  The city is being recognized because of repeated efforts to circumvent basic transparency and accountability measures expected of democratic governments. Among the laundry list of concerns brought to the attention of the Code of Silence jury were:   How the city [...]

Quebec’s Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks has been named as the recipient of the 2020 Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the provincial category.  The provincial ministry is being recognized for its unwillingness to share lab data with scientists at Environment Canada related to four mysterious fish kills that took place during the summer of 2019. At the time, dead fish showed up [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) condemns Bell Media for its decision to slash, without proper notice, more than 200 journalism jobs and support staff in radio and television operations across the country in the span of just over a week.  “These are dark, devastating days for Canadian journalism,” said CAJ president Brent Jolly. “Some of the journalists who’ve lost their jobs have spent 20 years (or longer) with [...]

The Federal Cabinet is the 2020 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the federal category. The Cabinet is recognized for suppressing public access to details about very large loans—at times amounting to billions of dollars—given to corporations out of the public purse. “Citing commercial confidentiality to prevent journalists and the public from accessing details of loans handed out through the so-called [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists condemns all attempts by governments and third-party agencies to discredit the work journalists undertake to cover climate change in Canada.  Numerous journalistic bodies — including the Society of Environmental Journalists — are smeared in a new Government of Alberta-bankrolled report titled A New Global Paradigm: Understanding the Transnational Progressive Movement, the Energy Transition and the Great Transformation Strangling Alberta’s Petroleum Industry. This report was [...]

In the wake of the arbitration decision in the matter of CBC vs. CMG on behalf of journalist Ahmar Khan, the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls on all Canadian newsrooms to guarantee that journalists can discuss and report on race and racism without reasonable fear of censure or repercussion.  “As journalists, our primary job is to hold uncomfortable but transparent conversations about complicated truths,” said CAJ president Brent [...]

Letter sent to members on January 8, 2021 by CAJ President, Brent Jolly.  Dear members, Wednesday's infamous events brought into focus the critical work journalists perform each and every single day around the world, in times of both peace and conflict. It is a journalist’s duty to seek and report the truth, bear witness, and explain complex events so that society can make informed choices.  Regrettably, we have been [...]

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2020 Canadian Newsroom Diversity Survey—Canada’s first representative survey of diversity in media.  The survey comes following three years of consultations with experts in survey design and media diversity and will help tell a story—with hard data—about who works in Canadian media.  “The glaring lack of diversity in Canadian newsrooms is no secret,” said CAJ past [...]

HALIFAX, TORONTO—As the COVID-19 pandemic’s second-wave continues to sweep across much of the country, the federal government has maintained a very cavalier approach to meeting its legal obligations under Canada’s Access to Information Act.  According to a 21 October report in the Winnipeg Free Press, less than half of federal access to information offices are currently operating at full capacity. This is because many departments have de-prioritised the processing [...]

A proposal to change the way the US manages visas for foreign journalists threatens to seriously jeopardise the exercise of journalistic freedom. We, the undersigned, urge the Department of Homeland Security to drop this proposal.   The “I visa” is required for all foreign journalists operating in the US, whether they are there for one week or five years. Once issued it is valid for up to five years, allowing [...]

On Oct. 7, 2020 Winnipeg Police Service officer Const. Rob Carver, a member of the public information office, interfered with a journalist’s ability to report after police shot a man. Winnipeg Free Press reporter Ryan Thorpe was in the process of procuring a video from a bystander to the shooting when Const. Carver took the phone from Thorpe, preventing the video from being made public.  The Canadian Association of [...]

This International Right to Know Day, we call on all governments and public authorities to ensure that the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is not a pretext for limiting citizens’ right to information. Legal and practical processes for accessing information should now be restored to pre-pandemic levels and even improved upon. The transparent and timely sharing of information with the public, on both a proactive and reactive basis, is crucial for [...]

TORONTO, Sept. 4, 2020 /CNW/ —The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the Ontario Provincial Police’s decision to arrest and lay charges against an award-winning Indigenous journalist.  On September 2, Karl Dockstader, the co-recipient of the 2020 CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowship, was arrested and charged with mischief, and failure to comply with a court order. Dockstader was [...]

TORONTO, Aug. 18, 2020 /CNW/ -This past Sunday, the national board of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) gathered for a regular meeting. One of our main agenda items was to discuss the recent news of the Alberta Legislative Press Gallery’s refusal to issue memberships to employees of Rebel News.  Late last week, Postmedia announced its extraordinary decision to pull its newspapers from the press gallery. While the CAJ [...]

TORONTO, July 31, 2020 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is alarmed to learn the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has threatened CBC reporter Colin Butler with harassment charges while performing his reporting duties. "Responsible, ethical, reporting requires that journalists seek out comments from individuals who are subjects of investigations," said CAJ president Brent Jolly. "Trying to intimidate journalists for doing their job is completely unacceptable. Journalism is [...]

OTTAWA, July 28, 2020/CNW/ — The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) condemns the attacks against journalists covering anti-mask protests in Quebec City and Montreal this past weekend and calls on police to sanction all behaviour by protesters that intentionally put journalists’ health and safety at risk.  “The physical assault, harassment and intimidation of journalists have no place in a democratic society and constitute attacks against freedom of the press, [...]

Update: An earlier version of this press release stated that Global had laid off 70 journalists from across its operations. Global claims that number is incorrect but declined to say how many people were laid off. TORONTO, July 23, 2020 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) was dismayed to learn that multiple journalists, predominantly employed in Global News' digital operations, lost their jobs yesterday.  The decision, according [...]

OTTAWA, June 10, 2020 /CNW/ — The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is raising a number of concerns about Ontario's proposed Bill 156 and it's impacts on journalists and the public's right to know. These concerns include the targeting of investigative journalists and a lack of protections for whistleblowers. The following written testimony has been submitted to the Standing Committee on General Government:  Dear Standing Committee on General Government, [...]

OTTAWA, June 1, 2020 /CNW/ - Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is outraged after hearing CBC journalist Susan Ormiston’s report that U.S. police shot at her with rubber bullets and Radio-Canada journalist Philippe LeBlanc’s report that police slashed his tires. Both journalists were reporting on protests sweeping across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death.  “Some officers are purposely injuring reporters. It's positively nightmarish; they are out [...]

OTTAWA, May 11, 2020 / CNW /—The access-to-information system, an essential service providing Canadians information about the internal workings of government, is at a near standstill. Delays have produced huge backlogs that are overwhelming departments. This comes at a time when the federal government spends billions of dollars in emergency aid with minimal parliamentary scrutiny. The system is often the only means of transparency that allows  Canadians to hold [...]

TORONTO, April 30, 2020 /CNW/—Environment and Climate Change Canada is the 2019 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the federal category. The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) to call public attention to governments, government departments and agencies [...]

TORONTO, April 28, 2020 /CNW/—The Government of Alberta is the 2019 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the provincial category. The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) to call public attention to governments, government departments and agencies that [...]

OTTAWA, April 8, 2020 /CNW/—The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is disturbed to hear from journalists who say their stories are being vetted to ensure advertisers are kept happy. While the CAJ cannot confirm the practice is widespread, several journalists have reported that their news stories are being reviewed to ensure they do not contain anything that would offend the business community, in the interest of preventing ad losses.  [...]

OTTAWA, March 4, 2020 /CNW/—If Canada's political leaders won’t stand up for journalists whose press-freedom rights are subject to the whims of the RCMP, they better prepare for some harsh criticism, and perhaps embarrassment, when Canada hosts the second instalment of the Canada-U.K. Global Conference for Media Freedom in Quebec City later this year. That conference will come on the heels of the RCMP's arrest of an award-winning American [...]

OTTAWA, Feb. 27, 2020 /CNW/— The police forces in Sudbury, Windsor, Peterborough, Longueuil, Quebec City, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, and the Ontario Provincial Police share the distinction of winning the 2019 Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of law enforcement agencies.  The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists, Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University, News Media Canada, [...]

OTTAWA, Feb. 24, 2020 /CNW/— The Town of Erin, Ont., is the 2019 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of municipal government. The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) to call public attention to government departments [...]

OTTAWA, Feb.8, 2020 /CNW/ — The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) continues to receive reports that RCMP officers are blocking media from bearing witness to police actions as they implement an injunction and arrest Wet’suwet’en people.  “All week the RCMP have been unnecessarily threatening reporters who are simply trying to perform their democratic duties,” said CAJ president Karyn Pugliese.  “Yesterday the RCMP promised to respect media rights, but today [...]

OTTAWA, Feb.7, 2020 /CNW/ — This week, the RCMP threatened to arrest journalists covering the implementation of an injunction on Wet’suwet’en territory against First Nation people who oppose a pipeline on their territory. What for? For taking pictures? For trying to inform the public on a matter of public interest? That is not a crime. That is journalism. In the wee hours of last night, the Canadian Association of [...]

OTTAWA / Jan. 14, 2020 / CNW  — The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is urging the RCMP to remain open and transparent, and allow media continued access to the exclusion zone in Wet’suwet’en Territory so the media can report fairly and accurately on events as they unfold.  The British Columbia Supreme Court has granted Coastal GasLink an interlocutory injunction against members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and others who [...]

OTTAWA / Dec. 18, 2019 / CNW  — When the Star Metro newspaper chain announced its closure and layoffs from Vancouver to Halifax, Canadians rallied behind their journalistics peers. Within a few hours, 100 journalists and journalism supporters raised $2,660 through crowdfunding meant as sympathetic beer money. The support proved overwhelming—too much for the laid-off journalists to consume. Some of the funds were declined. Jimmy Thomson and H.G. Watson, [...]

Turtle Island News continues to operate following a fire at their newsroom in October. According to a report published in the paper, a person or persons doused the office building with gasoline early in the morning on Oct. 28. Six Nations Fire Chief, Matthew Miller, is calling it a targeted attack. Six Nations Police say the incident is still under investigation. To donate to the newsroom please click here.  [...]

YELLOWKNIFE / Nov. 20, 2019 / CNW— The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) applauds the CBC’s decision to walk back its controversial plan to merge regional English-language morning radio newscasts in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.  As part of the plan laid out by the public broadcaster on Monday, local newscasts would have been merged into a single, pan-territorial broadcast in January 2020.  By Tuesday, all three [...]

OTTAWA / Nov. 19, 2019 / CNW / — Five major Canadian cities will watch invaluable journalism disappear from newsstands before the end of 2019. Torstar will shut down its StarMetro newspapers in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Halifax and Toronto on Dec. 20. When Torstar expanded boldly into four new markets last year, the plan was ambitious and encouraging news for local journalism in Canada. Twenty new reporters set out [...]

OTTAWA / Nov. 4, 2019 / CNW — The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) condemns the attack on Turtle Island News, an Indigenous paper at Six Nations Territory located in Southern Ontario. According to a report published in the paper, a person or persons doused the office building with gasoline early in the morning on Oct. 28. Six Nations Fire Chief, Matthew Miller, is calling it a targeted attack. [...]

OTTAWA / Oct. 18, 2019 / CNW —The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) condemns violence directed at media earlier today.  A CTV News photographer was punched multiple times outside of an Ottawa court house today, where several reporters were threatened and another photographer was assaulted while working. “News reporters and photographers serve an important role in informing the public and must be able to do their work free of [...]

OTTAWA / Oct. 9, 2019 / CNW — The CAJ is encouraged that a Federal Court decision on accreditation will push the Leaders' Debate Commission to be more transparent. A Federal Court judge ruled Rebel Media and the True North Centre for Public Policy should have access to the federal debates taking place this week. The Leaders' Debates Commission refused to provide their representatives accreditation, stating the organizations engage [...]

OTTAWA, Sept. 30, 2019 — The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has set aside a court order which would have forced a Radio-Canada journalist to reveal confidential sources, and referred the case back to a lower court to hear arguments again.   This case was the first time the Journalistic Sources Protection Act (JSPA) has been tested in the courts since it was enacted in October 2017.  While the SCC [...]

OTTAWA / Sept. 28, 2019 / CNW — As 2019 Right to Know Week falls in the middle of a federal campaign, the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) calls on all federal parties, once again, to overhaul Canada’s broken Access to Information law—change that’s been promised and undelivered for years.  “This is not a partisan issue,” says Karyn Pugliese, president of the CAJ. “For decades we’ve heard from experts [...]

The text in this statement was updated on Aug. 12, 2020. TORONTO, Aug. 1, 2019 /CNW/ - The CAJ strongly condemns the actions of the officials who became physically aggressive with APTN reporters in recent weeks.  In one case, occurring on July 11, the communications director for Peguis First Nation, Dwayne Bird, grabbed APTN producer Beverly Andrews' microphone at a press conference. In another case, on July 25, a [...]

OTTAWA / July 18, 2019 / CNW — The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is encouraged by several outcomes of the Journalism and Written Media Independent Panel of Experts, though the panel's final report does fall short on some of our priorities.   The CAJ’s appointed panelist Esther Enkin a former CBC ombudsman, producer and an expert in journalism ethics, said the process was collegial and the CAJ’s proposals contributed [...]

OTTAWA / May 30, 2019 / CNW—The CAJ is calling for basic transparency on the government’s $595-million plan to offer new tax credits to news organizations and their subscribers. Earlier this week the CAJ spoke to officials at the Department of Canadian Heritage, requesting a more transparent process on the proposed Journalism and Written Media Independent Panel of Experts. Last Tuesday the CAJ received an invitation along with seven [...]

OTTAWA, March 28, 2019—Today’s decision by the Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador is a victory for Justin Brake, and offers protection for journalists from broad injunctions.  Mr. Brake faces criminal charges of mischief and disobeying a court order after he followed a group of mostly Indigenous demonstrators onto the site of the Muskrat Falls hydro project site, following demonstrators for the purpose of reporting in October 2016. [...]

OTTAWA, March 19, 2019—The CAJ welcomes certain details of the government's $595 million for journalism announced in today's budget. In particular, the "full independence" of the body determining which journalism outlets are eligible for funding is something the CAJ called for previously and welcomes today. The government will also publish the names of all journalism organizations that receive funding on its website, which is a positive step. However, the [...]

OTTAWA / Dec. 10, 2018 / CNW / — The Canadian Association of Journalists supports some of the recently announced federal measures to encourage journalism in Canada, but urges caution as eligibility for funding is defined and eventually administered to news enterprises. The CAJ supports a long overdue move to allow nonprofit newsrooms to seek charitable status and also receive charitable funding, and further supports a non-refundable 15-per-cent tax [...]

OTTAWA / Nov. 1, 2018 / CNW — The federal department of finance, headed by minister Bill Morneau, is the 2018 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the federal category. The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) to [...]

CATHARINES, ON, Oct. 15, 2018 - The Regional Municipality of Niagara is the 2018 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of municipal government. The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) to call public attention to government [...]

TORONTO / Nov. 29 / CNW — The Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure is the 2017 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of provincial government ministries and agencies.  The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) [...]

OTTAWA, Nov. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is the 2017 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of law enforcement agencies. The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) have joined forces to expand an award that the CAJ [...]

TORONTO / Oct. 24 / CNW — Toronto Hydro is the 2017 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of local government departments and agencies. The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) have joined forces to expand an award that the CAJ has [...]

OTTAWA / Oct. 18 / CNW — Ottawa's point-man on access-to-information reform, Treasury Board President Scott Brison, is this year's first recipient of the Code of Silence Award for outstanding achievement in government secrecy won by the Treasury Board of Canada, which he heads. The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) have joined forces to [...]

OTTAWA, April 30, 2017 /CNW/ – The most secretive government department in Canada, as “honoured” by the Canadian Association of Journalists at its annual awards gala at the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel on April 29, is Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal. The winning nomination for this year’s Code of Silence award came from Larry Cornies of the London Free Press, whose reporting on the aftermath of a costly fire, [...]

The deficit of trust between Canada’s voters and its elected officials has never been higher, largely due to a breakdown in the system of accountability. Key to this is the fact that, after years of neglect, Canada’s access to information system is in crisis. The undersigned organisations are calling on the main political parties in Canada to make concrete commitments to reform Canada’s access to information system. A strong [...]

OTTAWA, FEB. 17, 2016 — Alberta’s government must abandon its attempt to block journalists’ access to the provincial legislature in Edmonton. The Canadian Association of Journalists reminds every government official who controls access to media lockups and press conferences that they do not control who gets to hold government to account. Recently, Premier Rachel Notley’s director of communications, Cheryl Oates, as well as lawyers from the provincial justice department, [...]