Margaret Atwood teams up with Paul Haggis, Dan Mangan, and over 200 Canadian artists to send message to party leaders about C-51’s attack on free expression

Artists, writers, musicians, and film-makers including Mark Achbar, Hayden, Raffi, Thomas King, and John Dunsworth from the Trailer Park Boys, warn that C-51 will “silence dissenting voices” and announce “we will be voting for the repeal of C-51”

“Artists are a powerful force behind creativity and innovation. But Bill C-51 undermines our most fundamental rights, restricts our freedom of expression, and will have a chilling effect on artists across Canada,” said OpenMedia’s digital rights specialist Laura Tribe. “This letter is an important reminder of what’s at stake in this election.”

The full letter from Margaret Atwood and over 200 other artists is available on Maclean’s website. The letter is part of a series that have been released by OpenMedia including ones by business leaders and principled conservatives and libertarians that highlight the legislation’s negative economic impacts and undermining of basic freedoms.

A petition at KillC51.ca calling for repeal of the bill has now been signed by over 298,500 people, making it one of the largest campaigns in Canadian history.

About OpenMedia

OpenMedia is a network of people and organizations working to safeguard the possibilities of the open Internet. We work toward informed and participatory digital policy.

Through campaigns such as KillC51.ca, StopTheMeter.ca and StopSpying.ca, OpenMedia.ca has engaged over half-a-million Canadians, and has influenced public policy and federal law.

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Media Availability and Contacts

Musician Hannah Epperson and writer Judy Rebick are available to speak to media about why they signed this letter.

Please contact OpenMedia to arrange an interview:

David Christopher

Communications Manager, OpenMedia

1 (888) 441-2640 ext. 0

[email protected]