Today, society is far more open than it was. That’s wonderful. But, since 1996, when Alberta’s commission began policing opinion, politics is more closed.
That’s when it became illegal not only to offend people the commission protects, but to publish anything that might offend them. No matter that statements be true, offence warranted, or publication dealt with matters of immediate concern–as did Rev. Stephen Boissoin for example, fined for writing letters against gay marriage while legalization was before Parliament.
No society prospers that silences contrarians–wrong as such people often are. But, sometimes they have something useful to say, offensive to some as it might be, and even if they don’t, silencing them is still wrong.
It should not be illegal to give offence: What is offensive, is that it presently is.
