There’s a saying that everyone believes in free speech.
That is, until they’re confronted by a controversial position they are vehemently opposed to, of course.
Alberta’s premier has been posturing about this issue, preaching the need to protect free expression on campuses.
Jason Kenney apparently already forgot — or at least clearly expects voters to have forgotten — his past position on freedom of speech.
In 2009, a government ban against George Galloway, once a British parliamentarian, was defended and upheld by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s then-immigration minister, who labelled Galloway a threat to national security because of his position regarding the plight of the Palestinian people.
A year after the questionable ban, immigration officials allowed the Scotsman who wasn’t afraid to court controversy into the country for a speaking tour following a Federal Court ruling that was critical of the government, saying its decision to keep him out was in part politically motivated.
For some painfully unfathomable reason, altogether far too many conservatives consider it to be racist or anti-Semitic to point out that international law deems Israel’s settlements in occupied territories to be illegal.
Apparently, one cannot criticize or question Israeli government policy decisions without being called an anti-Semite by a right-wing pundit. This ignores the fact that there are Jews in Israel who are quite critical of their own government and concerned by conditions Palestinians endure daily in a small patch of land that has been described as the world’s largest open-air prison.
The irony of people who pretend they’re victims of liberals and leftists who seek to shut down debate by crying “racist!” is palpable, as the right is not shy about using the exact same tactic to silence anyone who dares question Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.
Criticism of people in power and the policies they create is not — I repeat not — tantamount to hate speech against that nation or its people.
Besides, how Kenney can pretend to be a champion of free speech is beyond me, considering his taxpayer-funded war room amounts to an assault on free speech against any organization or individual who expresses concerns about the fossil fuel industry.
A Forbes article written by Niall McCarthy recently revealed that five major oil and gas companies — BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total — have over the years invested hundreds of millions of dollars fighting climate change science, successfully hamstringing any meaningful political action.
However, never has there been a safer bet that these companies will conveniently not be included in the Kenney government’s crusade to stifle dissent.
Freedom of speech is a two-way street and certainly should not be selective. I recently argued, and still believe, that short of incitement to violence against a person or specific demographic, people should be allowed to freely express their opinions, regardless of how controversial the stance.
Simon Ducatel is editor of the Sundre Roundup.
