The new Ontario government’s policy to protect free speech on university campuses has proven to be highly contentious. The policy was crafted to address concerns regarding the perceived rise of intolerance to free speech on Ontario campuses—with universities being accused of limiting controversial people, topics, and groups on campuses.
For instance, the controversy surrounding Wilfred Laurier University teaching assistant Lindsay Shepherd, who was penalized for showing a controversial video of a Jordan Peterson debate. While it is an admirable thing to want to protect the right to free speech and encourage open discussion, the ham-fisted approach that this policy is going with, might just lead to more harm than good.
My first critique is that this policy intended to protect free speech on campuses is inadvertently violating one of the notions of free expression. The policy states that any university, student, or student organization that refuses to adhere to the guidelines of the policy shall not receive any government funding. But what about those who are critical of the policy and the effects that it will have on their campus? Do they not have a right to protest the implementation of a policy that will most definitely impact their lives, without being threatened? It is a bit draconian for the Ontario government to reject any criticism of their policy outright, especially when it is a policy that looks like it could do with a bit of revision.
The crux of the issue with this policy is the lack of comprehensive guidelines to protect against the mushrooming of hate speech that will inevitably occur with its implementation.
The policy will not only protect free speech, but also ensure that hate speech and other illegal forms of speech are not allowed. How will the policy ensure this? No one knows.
The absence of clear guidelines in this policy to keep open discussion and free speech from descending into hate speech is what is troubling people. We must keep in mind that we live in a fraught political climate; thus, it is a tad unwise to allow for seemingly unrestricted free speech, in a time where people are on edge due to our current divisive political discourse.
The breakdown of respectful communication in international political discourse shows how easy it is to slide into intolerance when there are no enforceable guidelines on how to hold a civil debate on contentious ideas. I worry that this break down of civil communication between opposing groups and ideologies will also occur on university campuses with the introduction of this policy. It may lead to a rise in conflict on campuses as a result of people wielding their right to free speech as a weapon intended to prove that the other side is at fault.
The open discussion and sharing of ideas is an essential part of the university experience, and the ability to do so should be protected. But in order to ensure this, there needs to be a way in which students can exercise their right to free speech, without infringing on others’ well-being or creating tension between groups of students. Hopefully, Doug Ford and his government will realize this and implement better guidelines before it is too late.
