Free speech hasn’t been at the forefront of debate in Canada, but it should be. Unlike our neighbours in the United States, many Canadians have either taken free expression for granted, or simply don’t see it as very important. Only recently have some of us woken up to the limitations our government can place on our speech if we don’t make free expression a priority, and fast.
Technically, free expression is protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but there are caveats which could very easily lead us into the same situation we are seeing in places like Germany, where citizens are being prosecuted for online comments deemed “hateful.”
The Free Speech Union is here to help. Originating in the UK, there are now branches around the world, including its newest one in Canada.
Lisa Bildy is executive director of the Free Speech Union of Canada. I spoke with her this week about Canada’s free expression laws, the government crackdown on speech, the Orwellian Human Rights Tribunals coming for unsuspecting Canadians, and where we’re headed as a country if we don’t fight back now.
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