Banned on the Hill: Fighting Back against Dirty Oil and Government Censorship | Unpublished
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Franke James's picture
Vancouver, British Columbia
About the author

Franke James, is the artist and author of Banned on the Hill and the winner of the PEN Canada / Ken Filkow Prize and the BCCLA 2014 Liberty Award for Excellence in the Arts. Franke’s experience fighting government censorship is being used to teach grade school students about government censorship. She is contributing a chapter to a new anthology entitled “Access to Information and Social Justice” by Kevin Walby, University of Winnipeg and Jamie Brownlee from Carleton University. Corporate Knights named her as one of the Top 100 Eco-Influencers on Twitter.

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Banned on the Hill: Fighting Back against Dirty Oil and Government Censorship

June 9, 2013

Please help support my "Do not speak about Climate Change" national advertising campaign by donating through Indiegogo's crowdfunding website so we can put up posters like this in more Canadian cities!!

Hi—I'm Franke James. If you watched my video pitch you know I'm an artist and author—and that I got smacked down by Canada's Harper government for speaking up about dirty oil.

I am not alone. Scientists are complaining about being muzzled. Librarians are complaining about being muzzled. After two years of digging I know why I was muzzled. The Harper Government censored my art for "advocating a message that was contrary to the government's policies". Back in 2011, I organized a protest artshow in Ottawa and asked Harper to "Please stop blacklisting our environmental messengers—artists and scientists are the planet's early warning system".

Harper didn't listen to me. But many Canadians and the media did—my story was written up in the New York Times, (twice), featured on CBC's The Current, and the government's lies were exposed in the Postmedia News, the Vancouver Observer and many other news articles. The seed was planted—awareness of how Harper is muzzling free speech in Canada has now spread worldwide.

We need to keep the pressure on.

I need your help in my free speech fight against dirty oil and government censorship. By contributing to my campaign you'll be part of an important, FUN and unique project. Together we'll show Canada's Harper government that blacklisting and censoring citizens doesn't work (especially if they can wield a pen or a brush).

The campaign has already succeeded in putting "Do Not Talk about Climate Change" posters on Bank Street in Ottawa, and an online ad campaign on The Hill Times and Rabble. In May 2013 it received coverage in the Guardian UK, the Ottawa Citizen, the Toronto Star, Vancouver Observer, CTV's Power Play with Don Martin and other media!

The STRETCH goal is to take the campaign to Calgary, Vancouver or Washington.

Here is my video explaining why the Canadian government banned my art show on Parliament Hill and how I am fighting back. Please join in my campaign at Indiegogo. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/banned-on-the-hill/x/527666