Free Speech & its Limits: A Study of the Rippling Effects of Hate Speech Laws in Canada

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dc.contributor.advisorShea, Victor
dc.contributor.authorMohammadi, Monireh
dc.date.accessioned2023-12-08T14:48:23Z
dc.date.available2023-12-08T14:48:23Z
dc.date.issued2023-12-08
dc.date.updated2023-12-08T14:48:22Z
dc.degree.disciplineHumanities
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation critically examines the loopholes in Canada’s hate speech legislation and its adjudication processes within courts and tribunals. It argues that Canadian hate speech laws are founded on expansive notions of harm, creating a slippery slope where protected expressions can also face restrictions. This dissertation argues that the current hate speech legal framework in Canada overlooks speech as an exceptional social phenomenon that is inextricable from human creativity, which is inherently polysemous, versatile, and interpretive, especially concerning sociopolitical, ideological, and cultural viewpoints. The core argument of this dissertation is that given the characteristics and complexities of speech and the lack of evidence that can link an alleged hate speech to its harm, hate speech cases are adjudicated through a common sense or deference to legislative judgment approach, and not through deductive and evidence-based reasoning. By closely analyzing hate speech cases, this dissertation demonstrates that in Canada the adjudication of hate speech cases is excessively subjective and inconsistent. This dissertation examines the rippling effects of Canada’s hate speech legal regime by uncovering the intertwining of hate speech laws with politics, leading to the rise of a phenomenon termed ‘speech scare’ that imposes societal and cultural pressures on free expression, especially on controversial topics. Finally, the dissertation examines the discourse of online hate speech, revealing how excessive pressure for online communication moderation can have more detrimental effects on the right to freedom of expression and the right to privacy.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/41773
dc.languageen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectLaw
dc.subjectPublic policy
dc.subjectSociology
dc.subject.keywordsFreedom of expression
dc.subject.keywordsFree speech
dc.subject.keywordsHate speech legislation
dc.subject.keywordsHate speech laws
dc.subject.keywordsThe Charter of Rights and Freedoms
dc.subject.keywordsReasonable limits
dc.subject.keywordsHate speech adjudication
dc.subject.keywordsExcessively subjective adjudication
dc.subject.keywordsCommon sense
dc.subject.keywordsLegislative judgment
dc.subject.keywordsChilling effect
dc.subject.keywordsInconsistent judgments
dc.subject.keywordsSlippery slope
dc.subject.keywordsSpeech scare
dc.subject.keywordsOnline hate speech
dc.subject.keywordsPublic sphere
dc.subject.keywordsCorporate surveillance
dc.subject.keywordsOnline content moderation
dc.subject.keywordsThe right to privacy
dc.subject.keywordsThe dark web
dc.subject.keywordsHate speech legal regime
dc.subject.keywordsHate speech politics
dc.titleFree Speech & its Limits: A Study of the Rippling Effects of Hate Speech Laws in Canada
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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