December 10, 2025
Free speech agnostics in Canada
By
Alan Loncar
At first it seems paradoxical to believe indifference leads to intolerance. How can apathy lead to a purposeful spite? It can, if that agnostic coldness is only superficial and instead seeks to oppress. This is what parts of the West exhibit when it comes to free speech. They talk the talk but simply ignore the walk. An example is the recent debate around Canadian hate-speech laws.
The political party Bloc Quebecois
recently planned to propose an elimination of the religious exemption to Canada’s hate speech laws. The current law allows for exemptions from criminal charges "if, in good faith, the person expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text." The current exemption may seem like a nice state-issued grace. But what one considers an “opinion” or not is a dangerous slippery slope for criminal wrongdoing, particularly when debating the divine. The proposed change to the law also would define “hatred” as an “emotion that involves detestation or vilification and that is stronger than disdain or dislike.” Do we really trust government to know what is stronger than disdain but just the right amount of vilification? It seems that speech laws are not always the best prosecutorial taste tests.