Research Collaborations

Hate Speech Legislation, the Commonwealth Model, and Parliamentary Debates on Rights

In recent years, the governments of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand have all made attempts to regulate online hate speech. Each of these governments faces the challenge of deciding how to address the harms of hate speech, particularly in the online context, in a way that sufficiently protects free expression. In this research project, Dr. Emmett Macfarlane (University of Waterloo) and I explore established and emerging hate speech policy in these four Commonwealth countries. Our research questions how each country's institutions and accompanying rights culture shape limits on rights implicated by hate speech laws.

This project is supported by a SSHRC Insight Grant.