LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ance for extreme right-wing ideas that must be resisted, “because that intolerance undermines the free speech essential for democracy to survive.”

It all sounds very highminded, but in a country where your right to fly a flag that says, “F*CK TRUDEAU” is protected by the Charter of Rights, how is this a freedom of speech issue? It’s not, of course, because “freedom of speech” means that the government can’t put you in jail for what you say, which is a longstanding right of Canadians. Griesbrecht attempts to make the completely bogus argument that the Freedom Convoy participants endured “Draconian punishment” for their “unacceptable views,” while in reality they suffered the consequences of having blocked downtown streets for weeks on end, thereby depriving their fellow Canadians of THEIR Charter rights.

Just to be clear, Griesbrecht sounds like he’s arguing for freedom of speech, but in reality he’s advocating for free- dom from consequences. He goes on to say, “Universities that have made the quest for ‘diversity’ almost a religious calling routinely shout down or outright cancel those with viewpoints they disapprove of.” What he says is quite correct, of course, but what has that got to do with freedom of speech? It’s up to universities to decide what they’re willing to tolerate on their campuses, so unless Mr. Griesbrecht is advocating for more government intervention, then he should probably look for in- stitutions that share his beliefs. I’m sure they’re out there!

Griesbrecht then focuses on the Extreme Right’s favourite whipping boy--the mainstream media. “Mainstream newspapers simply refuse to allow writers with a different perspective on issues such as residential schools, climate change, or COVID vaccination to air their views. No diversity there.” Well, it seems unfortunate that so many potentially-popular extreme right-wing ideas are not getting any ink because of the recalcitrance of Canada’s newspaper editors, but in this country we don’t have a state newspaper and those editors all work for the private sector. As such, they have to be mindful of the bottom line and are decidedly reluctant to proffer anything that may cause their paper to become a laughingstock.

At the end of the day it’s the marketplace that drives those decisions, which should please every right-winger in Canada, including Brian Griesbrecht.

Andy Braid