British Columbia Legislature 42nd Parliament, 2nd Session (2021) Statements, 3 Jun 2021

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From YouTube: JUNE 3 2021 Statements Sonia Furstenau

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The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
2nd Session
42nd Parliament

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Leader of the third party- thank you honorable speaker. The last 16 months have hit home just how essential it is to have a trust to have trustworthy and reliable information. As many of us watch covid and its accompanying burden on our lives move across the globe. We listened each day and parsed the endless news stories that kept us informed of each breaking development.

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Imagine what this would have been like without a free press, imagine what they have endured in a democracy. The press plays a vital role in keeping the public informed and keeping those who are making decisions accountable.

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A healthy democracy has several essential components: legislative and executive orders of government and independent judiciary and unfettered press and educated and informed citizens who are able to think critically and participate actively in 2012 ryerson university held a two-day conference marking it the 30th anniversary of the canadian constitution, with a focus on the status of press freedom in canada, toronto star editor, kathy english, pointed out quote in canada.

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Judges still impose too many publication bans that stop journalists from reporting on public court proceedings, bureaucrats routinely block requests for public information control, mad governments shut down access and politicians refuse to speak to journalists who seek to hold them account on the public's behalf.

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Here in bc, journalists have filed an application with the bc supreme court asking that their rights not be fettered by rcmp exclusion zones. This is a worrying trend in our province, particularly in relation to conflicts around resource extraction and indigenous territories.

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We may have differing opinions on those matters in here, but it is my hope and expectation that each and every one of us who are representatives of this democratic system are committed to upholding and protecting the rights of journalists to report on what happens in here and everywhere in this province.

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We should fight for a free press, like our democracy depends on it, because it does.