"In a society such as Canada that fetishizes politeness and moderation, Free Speech can be hard to stomach. But that is the price you pay to live in and intellectually vibrant society that is safe for intellectual dissidents and other would-be reformers. We don't need laws to control the more reckless users- or abusers - of free speech. The community itself will naturally marginalize people who are excessively rude or bigoted. Such informal mechanisms - not section 13- (Was in Himan Rights Comission code until it was repealed) explain why it's no longer socially acceptable to be a bigot in polite Canadian Society.
The occasional rough edges that come with freedom of speech are constantly exaggerated by those who would seek to control that speech. But the trade-off they would propose namely, having a government agency so powerful and so omnipresent in our lives as to be able to investigate, prosecute, and punish dissident ideas - is a much more troubling danger than the odd vicious comment or reactionary sermon. If the choice is between individuals using their freedom of speech hurtfully and an all-Seeing Big Brother watching our words and thoughts, I know which society I'd rather live in. You can always ignore a racist. You can't escape from the government."
(Ezra Levant. Shakedown)
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