A new poll suggests that a majority of Canadians believe the right to free speech is in danger.
The Léger online survey indicates that 57% of respondents said they felt that freedom of expression in Canada was under threat.
Of those, 34 percent said it was “somewhat threatened,” while 23 percent said they considered the threat serious.
Some 36% said they felt the right to free speech was not in danger, while 7% said they did not know or did not respond.
Alberta is the region of the country where a greater proportion of respondents said they felt free speech in Canada was threatened, at 66% – with 36% saying “seriously threatened” and 30% “somewhat threatened.” “.
In Quebec, the proportion was 54%, with 36% believing that freedom of expression was “fairly threatened” and 18% believing that it was “seriously threatened”.
Meanwhile, three in four Canadians, or 76%, said they currently felt comfortable expressing their views, but the proportion slipped to 71% when it came to more controversial topics such as abortion, gun control and immigration.
Léger surveyed 1,610 Canadians from April 26 to 28. Online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not sample the population randomly.
Conservatives more fearful
Respondents’ feelings on the issue of freedom of expression divide sharply along political fault lines.
Among those who indicated they planned to vote Conservative in the next federal election, 76% said they feared that freedom of expression was at risk in Canada.
Among likely Liberal voters, 61 per cent said they did not feel their freedom of speech threatened, while NDP supporters were almost evenly split.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre often accuses Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of censoring opinions he doesn’t like, an argument he used to denounce the government’s online harms bill.
The legislation would make social media companies more accountable for protecting users — particularly those under 18 — from harmful behavior online, including terrorist content and content that can be used to bully a child.
Justice Minister Arif Virani insists the bill strikes a fair balance between better protection of Canadians and respect for the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Charter.
The bill has also come under scrutiny because it proposes tougher penalties for hate speech offenses, including reintroducing a section of the Canadian Human Rights Act that would allow people to file complaints against those who post hate speech online.
While civil liberties advocates say the provision could cripple free speech, justice officials have said it would only apply to extreme examples.
The poll results suggest Canadians are divided on whether free speech should be limited.
Some 44% of respondents said their values most align with imposing limits that would block hate speech and intolerance.
Furthermore, 45% say they are closer to the view that freedom of expression should never be limited “so that all opinions can be debated publicly”.
Another 11% said they didn’t know or refused to answer.
Among Conservative supporters, 60% said they were more supportive of no limits on free speech, while 64% of Liberal voters and 66% of NDP supporters expressed the opposite view.
Asked about the recent increase in hateful sentiments, 29% of respondents blamed the situation on “increasing lack of respect between people”, while 20% cited social media. Finally, 13% of respondents cited a “deterioration of the moral fiber” of Canada.