Rhetoric of disrespect is hardly 'freedom of Speech'

Ottawa Protestors shut down Ann Coulter's speech


Ottawa provost François Houle invited Coulter to "educate yourself, if need be, as to what is acceptable in Canada."

He noted, by example, that "promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges."


Liberal MP Scott Brison told Coulter's political opponents to "vote with your feet."

"If you don't agree with what she has to say, then ignore her."

While I am happy to ignore Ann Coulter, her tour has raised a fair amount of debate around "Freedom of Speech". As a result of the Zundel and Keegstra cases, Canadians have crafted hate laws which couple "freedom of expression" with "responsibility".

In an Academic Environment, freedom of speech requires a respectful and civil discourse between people of opposing views with the intent of promoting understanding rather than agreement. University of Ottawa is hardly the blogosphere where vituperative commentary is common.

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