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Freedom Of Expression, Controversy And Propaganda In The Classroom

The constitutional changes enacted by the government in 1982 have affected the rights of its individual citizens. The adoption of the Charter, guaranteeing rights and freedoms for every man, woman and child, is causing debate in school law and is forcing the provinces to re-evaluate their educational policy on a wide range of topics. Benchmark cases dealing with both teacher's and student's rights to freedom of expression such as: Regina v. Keegstra, Ross v. New Brunswick School Dist. No. 15, Fromm v. Ontario Peel Board of Education and Kempling v. The British Columbia College of Teachers, have generated the need to address controversy in Canada's classrooms.
A person's freedom to express what they wish is in fact a controversial matter and in the following paper, it is my hope to be able to provide a better understanding of those issues. I will briefly describe the four aforementioned cases in order to set the groundwork for understanding the rights of teachers with respect to freedom of expression both inside and outside of their classrooms. I will also address my views with respect to the answers to the following questions: Do people in some occupations enjoy fewer freedoms or rights simply because of the nature of their employment or professions? Can extending such limitations beyond the place and hours of work ever be justified? In what occupations or professions? Based on what public policy rationalizations?
The first case to address a teacher's freedom of expression was the landmark case of Regina v. Keegstra. Mr. James Keegstra was a high school teacher in the small Alberta town of Eckville. He was an automotive shop and social studies teacher and he also served as mayor of the town for five years. In 1984, this small town teacher was charged with willfully promoting hatred towards Jews by teaching his students that the Holocaust never occurred and that Jews were treacherous, evil and responsible for depressions, anarchy and...

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