Canada Doubles Down Against Free Speech

Michael Shellenberger writes:

Canada is cracking down on free speech on social media platforms. It is close to passing a new law that would expand government censorship of speech online.

And last week, a local lawmaker in Ontario introduced legislation and held a press conference (above) which would criminalize anyone making "offensive remarks" within 100 meters of drag shows.

If the law passes, it’s possible that the Canadian government could fine a person $25,000 for publicly saying that the two grown adults dressed up as witches and wizards are not, in fact, real witches and wizards.

On a related note, Canada enacted a law last year requiring parents to affirm their child is the opposite sex or face jail time.

Oh, Canada!

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Sarah Palin on how to improve Canada

The Canada Press reports that when Sarah Palin goes on a book-signing tour in Canada, no one is allowed to ask her any questions. But someone named Mary Walsh nonetheless asked a Palin for a comment. Here's what she got:

Palin strolled over, looking down on Walsh and her crew to tell them that "Canada needs to dismantle its public health-care system and allow private enterprise to get involved and turn a profit." "Basically, she said government should stop doing the work that private enterprise should do," Walsh said.
And Palin's new book is full of strange claims, according to Andrew Sullivan.

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Burning American tax dollars to incarcerate Canadian seed sellers

We're about to spend hundreds of thousands of American dollars incarcerating a Canadian who was busted for selling marijuana seeds. He never set foot in the United States, but he's being extradited. Who did he hurt?

"There isn't a single victim in my case, no one who can stand up and say, 'I was hurt by Marc Emery.' No one."
Here's the conclusion of an article by Ian Mulgrew of the Vancouver Sun:
Emery is facing more jail time than corporate criminals who defraud widows and orphans and longer incarceration than violent offenders who leave their victims dead or in wheelchairs. Whatever else you may think of him — and I know he rankles many — what is happening to him today mocks our independence and our ideal of justice.
Emery's crime is so incredibly serious that he would have spent an entire month in a Canadian prison for his crime. But, apparently, we have nothing better to do with American tax dollars than incarcerating people who sell marijuana seeds to people who want to buy them.

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Words you’ll never hear in the Canadian health care system

From Daily Kos, here's a long list of words you'll never hear in the Canadian health care system. They include:

"Out of network" COBRA Co-Pay Pre-existing condition. uninsurable profit recission
Additional note via Open Left:
By an overwhelming margin, Canadians prefer the Canadian health care system to the American one. Overall, 82% said they preferred the Canadian system, fully ten times the number who said the American system is superior (8%).
And consider this challenge to the GOP by Rep Anthony Weiner (via Michael Moore):

Continue ReadingWords you’ll never hear in the Canadian health care system