Thank you for this article. I had, until now, been unaware of the tribunal trial of Mark Steyn, a columnist whose brilliant writing I had only recently discovered on the internet courtesy of the Orange County Register.
I had assumed that Steyn was a U.S. writer; his wit, daring and allegiance to facts and accuracy is in keeping with the best journalism traditions of the U.S.
I am shocked to learn of his Orwellian trial.
How can this be possible? What has happened to Canada? Canada is a country that thinks itself better than the U.S. And I would rise to take its side in an argument to the contrary. Except for this instance.
And this is a grave instance. Freedom of speech and the press, a foundational principle of all western countries including Canada, is based upon Socratic and Aristotelian principles of open dialogue and rigorous debate. Without such freedom, however uncomfortable, civil society devolves into tyranny. Is this what is happening in Canada?
The mere existence of such quasi-judicial tribunals is strong evidence that Canada has already lost some of its principles and is ready to discard others. This is bad news for a world that has, at least temporarily, lost the principled leadership of the U.S.
