4 ms·

"Canada is leading in personal freedoms", perhaps in weed laws, not in free speech etc.

by 49para 8y ago

dh-g 8y ago
Any examples in regards to free speech?
- bregma 8y ago
  Can't give any because there are Government Agents just waiting to pounce if I do.
- dleslie 8y ago
  Canada does not have Free Speech, not like the Americans do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech_in_Canada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech_in_Canada
- tonyarkles 8y ago
  A somewhat entertaining one is that a business in Quebec cannot have an English-only sign on their business; the sign must have French, and French must be more prominent than English[1]. Zooming out a little bit to the Canadian Charter, there's two significant pieces that are relevant: - the limitations clause: "The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society." - the notwithstanding clause: (too long to paste but here's Wikipeida's summary): "The Parliament of Canada, a provincial legislature or a territorial legislature may declare that one of its laws or part of a law applies temporarily ("notwithstanding") countermanding sections of the Charter, thereby nullifying any judicial review by overriding the Charter protections for a limited period of time"[2] Basically, we have "freedom of speech", but it's not an absolute right, it's limited by "reasonable limits" (as decided by the courts). Further, even if the courts decide that some kind of provincial law violates the charter, the province can invoke the Notwithstanding Clause and continue enforcing the law. I'd argue that, in general, this all works out pretty well, but it's not really that strong of protection relative to the American Constitution. [1] https://www.educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/language-laws-and-doing-business-quebec https://www.educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/language-laws-and-doi... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_33_of_the_Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_33_of_the_Canadian_Cha...
kenrose 8y ago
> not in free speech etc. What's your source on this? Free speech is enshrined as a "fundamental freedom" in the Charter. There are reasonable limits as well, to ensure that things like hate speech are deemed illegal.
- rfrey 8y ago
  I've met a number of people (all American, so I infer it's due to some American news sources) that believe Canadians are arrested on a regular basis for flimsy and arbitrary claims of hate speech, and those arrests are political. The same people tend to believe we wait six months and probably die before getting cancer treatment because of our socialized medical system. So chalk it up to Canada being used in the partisan ratings war that seems to dominate news nowadays.
  - prolikewh0a 8y ago
    It's definitely our media not on the side of citizens. How many lies do your hear about your health care system?
    - rfrey 8y ago
      I don’t know, maybe lots? What I hear from my chosen news sources matches my experience (or feeds my confirmation bias), so I don’t recognize it as lies.
  - moate 8y ago
    You can chalk it up to Jordan Peterson and his fanboys insisting that white men are the most oppressed group in this upside down new world we live in. That segment really likes to paint Canada as the thought-police boogie man.
    - flamtap 8y ago
      Jordan Peterson absolutely and completely does not "insist", insinuate, or suggest that "white men are the most oppressed group". I am a really big fan of Dr. Peterson's work and I have never heard him say or publish anything remotely resembling such a statement. In fact, he is completely opposed to identity politics on the whole. Some misguided white men might think that they are "the most oppressed group", but they are just that: misguided.
arcticbull 8y ago
That is the most absurd thing I've heard in a while. I grew up in Canada and live in California right now. In general, I feel speaking freely anywhere in Canada than I do in the US. Leave the country and go visit somewhere for a change.

"Canada is leading in personal freedoms", perhaps in weed laws, not in free speech etc.

by 49para 8y ago

"Canada is leading in personal freedoms", perhaps in weed laws, not in free speech etc.

dh-g 8y ago

Any examples in regards to free speech?

bregma 8y ago
Can't give any because there are Government Agents just waiting to pounce if I do.
dleslie 8y ago
Canada does not have Free Speech, not like the Americans do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech_in_Canada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech_in_Canada
tonyarkles 8y ago
A somewhat entertaining one is that a business in Quebec cannot have an English-only sign on their business; the sign must have French, and French must be more prominent than English[1]. Zooming out a little bit to the Canadian Charter, there's two significant pieces that are relevant: - the limitations clause: "The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society." - the notwithstanding clause: (too long to paste but here's Wikipeida's summary): "The Parliament of Canada, a provincial legislature or a territorial legislature may declare that one of its laws or part of a law applies temporarily ("notwithstanding") countermanding sections of the Charter, thereby nullifying any judicial review by overriding the Charter protections for a limited period of time"[2] Basically, we have "freedom of speech", but it's not an absolute right, it's limited by "reasonable limits" (as decided by the courts). Further, even if the courts decide that some kind of provincial law violates the charter, the province can invoke the Notwithstanding Clause and continue enforcing the law. I'd argue that, in general, this all works out pretty well, but it's not really that strong of protection relative to the American Constitution. [1] https://www.educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/language-laws-and-doing-business-quebec https://www.educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/language-laws-and-doi... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_33_of_the_Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_33_of_the_Canadian_Cha...

kenrose 8y ago

> not in free speech etc. What's your source on this? Free speech is enshrined as a "fundamental freedom" in the Charter. There are reasonable limits as well, to ensure that things like hate speech are deemed illegal.

rfrey 8y ago
I've met a number of people (all American, so I infer it's due to some American news sources) that believe Canadians are arrested on a regular basis for flimsy and arbitrary claims of hate speech, and those arrests are political. The same people tend to believe we wait six months and probably die before getting cancer treatment because of our socialized medical system. So chalk it up to Canada being used in the partisan ratings war that seems to dominate news nowadays.
- prolikewh0a 8y ago
  It's definitely our media not on the side of citizens. How many lies do your hear about your health care system?
  - rfrey 8y ago
    I don’t know, maybe lots? What I hear from my chosen news sources matches my experience (or feeds my confirmation bias), so I don’t recognize it as lies.
- moate 8y ago
  You can chalk it up to Jordan Peterson and his fanboys insisting that white men are the most oppressed group in this upside down new world we live in. That segment really likes to paint Canada as the thought-police boogie man.
  - flamtap 8y ago
    Jordan Peterson absolutely and completely does not "insist", insinuate, or suggest that "white men are the most oppressed group". I am a really big fan of Dr. Peterson's work and I have never heard him say or publish anything remotely resembling such a statement. In fact, he is completely opposed to identity politics on the whole. Some misguided white men might think that they are "the most oppressed group", but they are just that: misguided.

arcticbull 8y ago

That is the most absurd thing I've heard in a while. I grew up in Canada and live in California right now. In general, I feel speaking freely anywhere in Canada than I do in the US. Leave the country and go visit somewhere for a change.