As David Butt, a Canadian political scientist, acknowledges, “Canadian freedom of expression law, like so many things Canadian, embodies compromise.” In the US, the First Amendment of the Constitution protects the right of public speech and opinion no matter how controversial the idea can be. On the other hand, Canadians have equal protection but are required to display opinions without violence, threats, or insults when in public (Kott par. 1). A relatively big difference, the two social approaches have created tension between the American and Canadian societies. In 2008, the super-conservative Westboro Baptist Church revealed their plans to enter Canada and protest against LGBT rights at a murdered man’s funeral. While these expressions are completely legal, justified, and unfortunately common in the US, the Canadian government has recently put up a national ban on the Church as “Canadians simply won't tolerate these lunatics disrupting what should be a respectful service” (Martin qutd. by
As David Butt, a Canadian political scientist, acknowledges, “Canadian freedom of expression law, like so many things Canadian, embodies compromise.” In the US, the First Amendment of the Constitution protects the right of public speech and opinion no matter how controversial the idea can be. On the other hand, Canadians have equal protection but are required to display opinions without violence, threats, or insults when in public (Kott par. 1). A relatively big difference, the two social approaches have created tension between the American and Canadian societies. In 2008, the super-conservative Westboro Baptist Church revealed their plans to enter Canada and protest against LGBT rights at a murdered man’s funeral. While these expressions are completely legal, justified, and unfortunately common in the US, the Canadian government has recently put up a national ban on the Church as “Canadians simply won't tolerate these lunatics disrupting what should be a respectful service” (Martin qutd. by