Free speech isn’t merely individual self-expression

Free speech isn’t what it used to be.

Freedom of speech used to be understood as a protection for bold, truth-seeking debate. In Canada, the Fathers of Confederation understood free speech as vital to our liberty and governance – a foundational piece of our nation’s constitutional order.

Today, the rationale for free speech has been degraded and misunderstood. Freedom of speech has become merely a license for self-expression.

In The forgotten freedom: Reviving rational debate in Canada’s public sphere, MLI Senior Fellow Ryan Alford reveals how free speech is being eroded by expressive individualism and the rise of “victimhood culture.” Even as “sweeping legislation… clamps down on political expression,” young Canadians grow apathetic about free speech, and increasingly support restrictions on content they deem to be “offensive.”

The consequences are already devastating: Canada’s Supreme Court protects child pornography as free expression while comedians face $42,000 fines for jokes that “offend” certain groups in society. Universities are essentially being transformed into adult daycares where censorship is the norm and “safe spaces” are deemed essential for students’ mental health. A spiral of silence dominates institutions as people bite their tongues to avoid punishment from human rights tribunals or DEI offices.

Meanwhile, influential voices in Parliament are calling for reintroduction of the Online Harms Act, which would create vast bureaucratic powers to ban “harmful speech” and stifle debate on controversial issues like immigration.

The Online Harms Act, and similarly censorious policy cropping up across our institutions, comes out of a radical cultural shift. Alford explains, “this new moral culture equates challenging speech with violence and amplifies calls for institutional censorship, particularly in universities.” Apparently, “offensive” speech is inherently violent and deserves punishment.

Canadians must boldly and unashamedly reclaim their right to free expression. Without a correct understanding of the role free speech plays in maintaining a vibrant, democratic society we simply will not be able to address the many pressing challenges facing the country.

“The future of this nation belongs to the great-souled citizens who are willing to speak boldly,” Alford concludes.