Why I will fight for free speech
As an employment lawyer, I am emailed daily about workplace harassment. As of late, almost all of the harassment complaints relate to social justice advocacy at work.
Everyone has turned into an advocate overnight, with social media platforms making debate around the Middle East accessible at all hours. The silencing culture is stronger than ever with employers continuing to strangulate certain voices through tactical gaslighting. They are doing this by falsely labelling employees. While some continue to post and state things that would be seen as objectively outrageous in the past, others are left demoralized and silenced.
False labelling is both a powerful and extremely effective tool used to discredit dissenting voices. Both in my professional and personal circle, I have seen people (living and breathing the diversity, equity and inclusion principles we hear so much about) being labelled as antisemites and terrorist sympathizers.
Make no mistake: the labels are meant to scare the activists and shrink them into silence for fear that they will be further labelled. It is a trick meant to erode the credibility of reasonable voices. Those who perpetuate hate towards any group, should be called out. But it is messages from falsely labelled employees that generally reside in my inbox.
Indisputably there are true racists spewing hate speech (at work), and Jewish and Muslim communities are being targeted relentlessly right now.
While our Charter protections around free speech do not permit us to demonize any group, we cannot allow healthy debate to fall to the wayside as yet another casualty in this war.
The level of racism I see penetrating Canadian workplaces is at an all-time high. I am watching as some get to utilize free speech at work, while others are backed into a corner. They are not being fired, but they are being pushed to resign as colleagues ignore them, interrogate them, or complain against them.
One of my clients was fired following antisemitic posts to her X account. She did not make the postings, and although it was her employer who uncovered the culprit’s identity (he confessed), they chose to unceremoniously fire her anyways. My client is a Muslim woman.
Another client was cornered by her CEO during a meeting (an organization boasting of its “cutting edge” DEI culture) and told that anyone posting pro-Palestinian content was antisemitic and would be fired “in time.” When she simply tried to assert her right to stay silent on the conflict at work (which is what our firm recommends to clients), she was ostracized until she fell sick and left.
In my clients, I see myself. As I fight for my clients, I fight for myself and my community. Muslims are particularly easy framing targets right now. We are told repeatedly that we should be “grateful” and should refrain from undermining those who have helped us succeed. This is the worst kind of gaslighting in that it is racist.
I try not to cower under the weight of these pressures, while still recognizing the privilege I hold in making that statement. I will try to continue to uncover inequitable treatment in the workplace. I will try to hold responsible those employers who only allow certain employees the benefit of the doubt.
I will seek to provide justice to those employees who have to constantly explain their intentions behind every word spoken, every post posted, and every action taken, while their colleagues enjoy a work environment free from poison.
I am noticing patterns, and they scare me. Like my clients, I have been accused of saying things I did not say. I have been accused of posting content that is hateful, and my explanations are consistently disregarded.
Regardless of where Canadians sit on this war, or any other controversial issue, I will continue to fight for free speech. I will be prepared to defend my own words and actions and be the first to challenge what is hateful and racist.
Why do I do it? Outside of the obvious reasons, I have this fantasy where my daughter grows into her version of success and tells people: “I got my hustle from my mama.” These cases of mine, they are a little bit about my little girl as well.
The level of racism I see penetrating Canadian workplaces is at an all-time high. I am watching as some get to utilize free speech at work, while others are backed into a corner