WATERLOO — Senators at Wilfrid Laurier University approved a freedom-of-expression statement Tuesday that details the school's commitment to not censoring difficult or controversial ideas.

The final statement, developed by the Task Force on Freedom of Expression, says Laurier "unequivocally embraces the principles of free expression required in an academic environment." That includes a range of perspectives and ideas, "including those that may be deemed difficult, controversial, extreme, or even wrong-headed."

In a presentation to senators Tuesday afternoon, Robert Gordon, chair of the task force, said "the principles are grounded by a commitment to academic freedom, freedom of speech … and the relevant legislation around free speech." That includes the Criminal Code of Canada, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Ontario Human Rights Code.

He said more than 2,500 hours of work went into the document since the task force was formed last fall, and members consulted with experts from around the world as well as people in the community members closer to home.

The approximately 1,000 word statement, about 1,000 words long and available on Laurier's website, is about 300 words shorter than a draft version released in April, but the spirit of the document remains unchanged — it recognizes that free speech and freedom of expression can sometimes be challenging, but the school's role isn't to censor those ideas.

"To grant the institution such power would set a dangerous precedent," the statement said. "Rather than restricting speech, Laurier is committed to supporting an open and inclusive environment that also protects free expression."

The statement does place some restrictions on free speech on campus, however, including threats, defamation, discrimination, harassment, invasion of privacy and confidentiality, and hate speech.

"These limits apply to speech on campus in the same way as they apply elsewhere," the statement says.

The task force was launched last December to explore freedom of speech, academic freedom and censorship on campus after teaching assistant Lindsay Shepherd was reprimanded by her professor for showing a video of controversial University of Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson in class.

Her professor apologized but Shepherd went on to form The Laurier Society for Open Inquiry in January. In March, Faith Goldy was announced as the first speaker in their Unpopular Opinions Speaker Series. Goldy is a former Sun News Network reporter who was fired from The Rebel Media last August after appearing on a podcast for neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer.

Goldy was scheduled to give an anti-immigration talk on Laurier's campus on March 20, but it was heavily protested and had to be postponed after someone pulled a fire alarm was pulled. A followup event set for April 30 at the University of Waterloo was cancelled after UW quoted security costs of $28,500.

Laurier's new statement on freedom of expression says the classroom environment should "emphasize intellectually challenging content" and that there may be times when "instructional material or discussions challenge students' worldviews and identities."

The task force began meeting in January and was comprised of 15 members, including faculty and students at Laurier.

Gordon said about 740 people visited the draft statement on the school's website and spent an average of 18 minutes on the page. About 212 left a comment on ways to improve or change it, including alumni (38 per cent of visits), faculty (21 per cent), community members (21 per cent), students (15 per cent) and staff (five per cent).

Senate member Heidi Northwood, interim senior executive officer of Laurier's Brantford campus, said she was very impressed with the final draft.

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"It's a wonderfully strong statement at the end of what has been a difficult year," she said.