Daily reminder: help preserve freedom of speech in Canada

Visit these blogs to read about their legal situation. Help keep the right to freedom of speech alive in Canada.

• Kathy Shaidle, at Five Feet of Fury
• Kate McMillan, at Small Dead Animals
• Ezra Levant, at EzraLevant.com
• FreeDomininon.com, a conservative discussion board
• Jonathan Kay, of the National Post

Don't let kangaroo courts become the arbiters of what we are allowed to say, write, and publish here in Canada. Fight for freedom of speech!

Update: Red Tory weighs in:

You might well ask why I’m writing this. Good question! Although I rather doubt it, I suppose the Google-happy Mr. Warman could conceivably take it upon himself to sue me, after all, I've repeated alleged libelous statements and have insinuated that he's a "litigious crank" and furthermore have suggested by implication that he's a self-appointed "Witch-Finder General" amongst other things. Well, all I can say to that is I wish him much luck in such a futile endeavour — no blood will be forthcoming from this stone, I assure you. The reason is quite straightforward and perhaps rather naïve — it's simply to express my concern as an individual about the state of free speech in this country. The inviolability of this particular right is something that I believe is absolutely paramount and is an issue that touches all of us in a quite direct manner. Debate on political issues cannot be robust and wide-open if the looming threat of a potential inquest under the Human Rights Act or a libel suit hangs over you. Is that really the sort of country we want to live in?

The time has come for legislative reform, not only of the Human Rights Act, but also of Canadian libel law in general. A good first step would be to reverse the burden of proof in lawsuits involving public figures: the plaintiff, not the defendant, should have to prove the statements in question are false. Furthermore, statements of personal opinion or belief should be exempted and the plaintiff forced to prove that the statements were actually made with malicious intent.

I wish the government, or the Liberal opposition if it ever manages to locate its testicles, would aggressively pursue these legal reforms with some vigor . . . but will they? Well, that’s very much up to YOU, isn't it?