Inherit the Wind

Last night, at the Warehouse Theatre, members of the Manitoba Bar Associaion presented Inherit the Wind a play written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. It was a really excellent performance, and it emphasized the importance of freedom of speech and the importance of helping students learn to think for themselves. Well done to all the actors, and to all those who helped behind the scenes.

This play is an important reminder that conservative governments in the United States and Canada have often tended to restrict or repress new ideas and decrease access to information. In this respect the report by Information Commissioner John Reid to Parliament last week is timely. He warns that the Conservative proposals to revise access to information will limit access to information rather than expanding it. As Reid said "No previous government since the Access to Information Act came into force in 1983, has put forward a more retrograde and dangerous set of proposals."