court proceedings presumptively be open and accessible to the public and to the media

A.B. v. Bragg Communications Inc., [2012] 2 SCR 567, 2012 SCC 46

[11] The open court principle requires that court  proceedings presumptively be open and accessible  to the public and to the media. This principle has been described as a “hallmark of a democratic society” (Vancouver Sun (Re), [2004] 2 S.C.R. 332, at para. 23) and is inextricably tied to freedom of expression.