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Originally Posted by KSigkid
Well-said - we do tend to enjoy freedom of speech down here, don't we?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
We'll, down here we have something of a long-standing attraction to the idea that the government shouldn't be in the business of telling people what they can or can't say. We like the idea so much that we put in our Constitution, so that it's clear that the government does not have legal power to tell us what we can or can't say.
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We too have freedom of speech; however we also draw the line at inciting hatred, I guess you could say and we spell it out quite clearly in the Criminal Code of Canada and to a certain extent, in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"Section 319 deals with publicly stirring up or inciting hatred against an identifiable group based on colour, race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. It is illegal to communicate hatred in a public place by telephone, broadcast or through other audio or visual means. The same section protects people from being charged with a hate crime if their statements are truthful or the expression of a religious opinion."
Quick question (and on another note): In your country, if some jackass yelled out "FIRE!" in a crowded theatre and there was no fire, could they hide behind the 'Freedom of Speech' plea? Just wondering.