Canada Passes Bill to Protect Whistleblowers and Journalists

On October 4, 2017, Bill S-231 , the Journalistic Sources Protection Act which seeks to amend the Canada Evidence Act and the Criminal Code, was passed in Canada

Essentially, the act will protect the confidentiality of journalistic sources. Basically a “don’t ask don’t tell” in terms journalism sources. The only time journalists must disclose their sources is if the source can’t be obtained by any other reasonable means (stealing from a government building?) and if the public’s interest in the administration of justice outweighs the public’s interest of preserving confidentially. It seems like that means “if people are mad at the journalist for releasing that info and think the journalist should be punished, it will happen. If people are okay with what the journalist said or reported, then it’s fine, so long as the source was obtained by reasonable means.”

Of the 338 House Members in the Canadian Parliament, 277 voted “yes” while the rest simply didn’t vote.