Country
Canada
Government actions against journalists in Canada
RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Canada is in Northern America, North America. The record holds 2 incidents in which the government of Canada, or an official, court or legislature there, limited journalists' ability to report.
Tactics used
- Detention and violence: 2 incidents · ladder
- Access bans: 1 incident · ladder
- Licensing and closure of outlets: 1 incident · ladder
- Prior restraint: 1 incident · ladder
Heads of government at the time
Incidents by year
2021
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 July 2021 | Court orders RCMP to stop restricting press access at Fairy Creek logging blockades | Access bans | Restrict | John Horgan | Reversed (20 July 2021) |
1939
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 1939 | Canada: War Measures Act regulations authorize review of hundreds of newspapers and ban political organizations | Prior restraint | Silence | William Lyon Mackenzie King | Sustained (31 December 1945) |
Ladders: where each tactic has led · Timeline for Canada · North America