Canada has not been the greatest for individual freedoms in the last 20 years. This is another step in the authoritarian direction, and will be used to punish people for speech ultimately.
Certainly we are not perfect, but I think overall Canada has done more for the world to uphold human rights and freedoms than otherwise. When the government does act against "individual freedom", it is usually for the good of larger society. For instance because of firearm restrictions Canadian citizens are (or used to be?) free from getting shot with firearms on the streets. Is it a perfectly free society? No, but for the most part people here have it pretty good. I'd wager most of the immigrants moving here are much more free than they were in their home countries
> When the government does act against "individual freedom", it is usually for the good of larger society.
This line of thinking can be used to justify anything. That’s why it’s important to protect the individual and their rights, even in face of what a majority - who can be unjust - wants. And speech in particular, is so fundamental to the idea of freedom, that it should be almost absolutely protected. A constitutional guarantee of free speech and privacy is critical.
You're posting that reply on a message board that, strictly speaking, does not have free speech. If I started flaming you my post would get removed pretty quickly. This forum is heavily moderated. Does that make it a better, or worse, place for discussion?
It’s one among a large number of forums you can choose from, not a monopoly, with no restriction by the government, who has a monopoly on violence and the ability to take away your time or money.
By that line of thinking, Canada is just one country you can choose to live in. Certainly people here have the choice to move to other countries that they think has more freedom. I have a hard time thinking of any other countries that entirely fit that criteria at the moment.
You are arguing in bad faith. People as individuals, including Canadians, deserve freedom of speech, without threat of fines or jail time. Most people can’t just move to another country. They can however move to another website as an alternative to HN.
I have never once received threats of fines or jail time for their speech, nor have any of the Canadians I know. Are you aware that freedom of opinion and expression is very clearly spelled out in the Canadian charter of rights?
Canadians have Freedom of Expression, which is a stronger protection than Freedom of Speech, but the Canadian legal interpretation of that freedom allows for constraints based on hate, obscenity, and a few legal constraints that are common across most "Free Speech" jurisdictions (libel, defamation, etc).
There are cases where people have been charged, fined, and even jailed for "expression", but those are largely limited to cases where folks are promoting violence against specific groups (including hate speech, for example, teaching holocaust denialism, promoting anti-semitism or pro-racist ideologies calling for violence).
There are certainly cases where there has been government over-reach, but that is why we have courts, and in general, the courts in Canada tend towards a more broad interpretation of Freedom of Expression. Are there specific cases in Canada that you can cite where people haven't enjoyed Freedom of Expression (including freedom of speech, which is protected under the broader umbrella of Expression).
Yeah and tell me America is great at this. Where a authoritarian sacks a government official for publishing government stats. Wonderfully democratic TACO state.
America has constitutional protections for freedom of speech, that are greater than any other country. I mean that literally. The government official was not sacked for “publishing government stats” - that is, it’s not their speech as an individual that led to their firing.
Sorry, Americas constitutional protections are effectively a myth. There is nothing to enforce or even defend them. They are theory at best, easy to be twisted any time powerful enough person wants.
You should try watching some auditors on the tube of your choice. They make good money suing when their rights are violated. I wish individuals had that protection in Canada.
How is it a myth? Anyone can say what they want, barring a small set of exceptions like defamation. This is enforced and defended by the legal system. It’s the opposite of what you are claiming.
The power of literal government agencies are used against people and organizations literally based on their speech. Literally over words.
Meanwhile, literal financial political corruption is framed as speech.
And second, give how expensive civil suits are, you not having enough money to pay layers means that slapp suits are very effective limits on free speech in practice.
I think the point is, despite America having "constitutional protections for freedom of speech, that are greater than any other country," it has fallen to such a sorry state that a government officer is fired for reporting inconvenient numbers and that's not even the craziest thing the president did this week.
...which raises question on whether "freedom of speech" is the great defense against authoritarianism Americans believe it to be.
Yes it obviously is a great defense against authoritarianism. Trump still can’t stop you as an individual in exercising your freedom of speech. A government “officer” here is just an employee (of an agency that is controlled by the president), fired for doing their job poorly (allegedly), not for speech.
