John Robson: Censoring free speech breaks faith with Canadians. Don’t go there

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The most fundamental reason for allowing dissent is that we might be wrong. We’ve been surprised before

The column below was adapted from John Robson’s testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on June 4.

Censorship might not sound to you like what you’re considering because it’s an ugly word and your motives are pure. But it’s the right word for any government effort to restrict freedom of speech except on the narrowest of grounds. And it’s an ugly word because it’s an ugly thing. It is obvious that censorship in tyrannies is wrong because it represses the truth. But censorship in open societies does great harm because it famously cuts the rattle off the snake without removing the fangs.

First, a strange or uncomfortable idea might turn out to be true. Naturally when you look at online hate you’re not worried about that possibility. But the most fundamental reason for allowing dissent is that we might be wrong. We’ve been surprised before. And once we start suppressing opinions, how shall we ensure that we only suppress errors? We are, after all, fallible humans.

Which brings me to Mill’s third point. If we accept orthodox opinions without ever hearing them challenged, even when they are correct we tend to accept them as stale dogmas not living truths. But when we hear them defended, or defend them ourselves, we develop a deeper and more lively appreciation of their meaning which then informs and enlarges our lives as well as preparing us better to refute them when we do hear them.

 

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SundanceConstr1 Once free speech is eliminated, the social contract is broken.

MarkSteynOnline The Dippers, Liberals & the Tories under AndrewScheer are quick to pounce on what they don't like to hear. I don't trust the Dippers & Liberals at all with the last word. As for the Tories, the amount of trust I give them can be measured in a teaspoon cdnpoli allnews2nite

I dont agree with this at all and I see this as our liberal government infringing on our personal freedoms some might call it a step towards dictatorship

The problem is Liberals are ok with censoring Conservatives. If the tables were turned, Conservatives would never censor Liberals.

The politicians are terrified of what they can't control so,they pretend that we need protection from pictures amd words They also apparently don't know how to use social media if they are seeing the types of things they claim to be

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