C-9 is an affront to free speech, but the government took it away long ago

By Bruce Pardy, first published by the National Post

Bill C-9 (the Combatting Hate Act) is a dangerous overreach on free speech, but it’s just the latest symptom of a much deeper, long-standing erosion of free expression in Canada, argues law professor Bruce Pardy.

True free speech, he says, isn’t about “reasonable” limits or social benefits—it’s an absolute individual right!

Prof. Pardy slams the Supreme Court’s view that speech is protected only when it serves democracy or truth-seeking—making it conditional, not fundamental. He calls out the Charter’s “reasonable limits” (Section 1) as doublespeak for managed rights in a managerial state.

Bottom line: If free speech is real, you can hate, joke, misgender, refuse pronouns, protest, or label your cereal in English only—without government approval.

Read Bruce Pardy’s commentary at the publisher’s website here [paywall].