We're excited to announce the release of two new podcast episodes, kicking of season two of our Free Expression series! In the first two episodes, series host Dr Dax D'Orazio talks to Emily Laidlaw and Emmett Macfarlane. Episode descriptions and the episodes themselves are available below.

Episode 1: What Do Social Media Companies Owe Democracy? Interview w/ Emily Laidlaw

In this episode, Dax speaks with Emily Laidlaw, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Calgary and Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law. They discuss how social media has changed our public discourse, the legal obligations of social media platforms and how they’re regulated, the development of the Online Harms Bill and whether it addresses our policy problems in this area, and the complex balancing of free expression and harm reduction in an online environment, including controversial hate speech prohibitions in Canada.

Episode 2: How Should Universities Respond to Free Expression Controversies? Interview w/ Emmett Macfarlane

In this episode, Dax speaks with Emmett Macfarlane, Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. They discuss the politics of free expression in Canada and how it relates to the culture wars, the challenges of universities responding to free expression controversies on their campuses, and the task force at the University of Waterloo and its report, including how universities should approach protest encampments, divestment, extramural expression, institutional neutrality, and the relevance of the Charter.