The Constitutional Protection of Freedom of Expression

Agar Adamson is the author of Letters of Agar Adamson, 1914–19 and former chair of the Department of Political Science at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

Although this work predates the events of September 11 and the resulting
anti-terrorist legislation, its publication is timely, for the aftermath
of those events has once again brought into open and heated debate the
philosophical and constitutional conflict surrounding freedom of
expression. As the author, a professor of law at the University of
Windsor, points out, manifestations of the debate over limits on freedom
of expression from both a purely constitutional law point of view and
the wider philosophical aspect are found throughout our daily existence.
Tobacco advertising, the publication of public opinion polls, election
advertising, pornography of all sorts, the Internet, and hate literature
are just a few examples of areas in which the state has placed limits on
expression.

The debate is not new. After all, Mill wrote at length on the issue in
On Liberty. What is new is technology and the Charter. Although we do
have protection, we also have far more vehicles for expression than Mill
could have dreamed of. Moon presents the reader with a well-argued
concept of freedom of expression that is both even-handed and
informative. Copious notes and a thorough index enhance the book’s
value for scholars and general readers alike.