Where do you draw the line on free speech?

Arguments begin Wednesday at the Supreme Court of Canada in a case that pits freedom of speech against laws that prohibit the promotion of hatred.

Bill Whatcott distributed flyers in Regina and Saskatoon in 2001 and 2002 calling homosexuals sodomites and child molesters. CBCBill Whatcott was charged with promoting hate after he distributed flyers in Regina and Saskatoon in 2001 and 2002 that called homosexuals sodomites and child molesters.

Whatcott was found guilty by Saskatchewan's Human Rights Tribunal in 2005 and ordered to pay $17,500 to four complainants.

But Whatcott insisted he opposed gay activity, not gay people. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturned the tribunal's decision in February 2010.

Whatcott's lawyer, Thomas Schuck, wants the court system to lose its right to rule on hate speech. He says it's almost impossible to define what hate is.

Do you agree? Where do you draw the line on free speech? Let us know in the comments below.

Related: Internet hate-speech law unconstitutional: rights commission


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