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Did this really happen? Does my memory deceive me? Because it’s hard to imagine such an event unfolding like this today.

Likewise the general mood around Canada’s free speech debate that occurred a decade ago when Maclean’s magazine, Mark Steyn, Ezra Levant and others faced human rights complaints for publishing and writing what was deemed offensive conduct.

Because I seem to recall that there were many people across the political spectrum that came to their defence on a matter of principle. Conservative, yes. But liberals, centrists, leftists. Everyone stood up for free speech.

Many of them cited the aphorism, wrongly attributed to Voltaire, that while I may disagree with what you have to say I will fight for your right to say it. They may not all have personally cared for what Steyn, Levant and others were writing, but they appreciated the value of free speech.

It was an incredible and energetic time for public debate in Canada. There were absolutely brilliant columns written (RIP George Jonas), great books and essays. And some truly fantastic public debates and speeches. I’ve still yet to witness a more powerful public address than the one Christopher Hitchens gave in 2007 at the University of Toronto’s Hart House that I had the privilege of watching in person.

A lot has happened since then. We’ve seen the emergence of trigger warnings, microaggressions, and safe spaces. Sure, they’re bonkers ideas deserving of mockery. Yet they’ve caught on, at least for a certain segment of society. And it’s a very passionate, mobilized and determined segment.