HEINRICHS: The great gag order — Carney’s government is desperate to kill free speech

Gerald Heinrichs is a lawyer in Regina, Saskatchewan. “Unless you hear it from us, it is not the truth." That is what today's bad leaders tell their citizens, and New Zealand’s prime minister stated that plainly in 2020.Bad leaders of the past and those today hate the same things. They hate dissent, and they hate being told their policies are wrong. So, as Frederick Hayek puts it, “everything which might cause doubt about the wisdom of the government or creates discontent will be kept from the people.”Freedom of speech, according to the great thinkers, means freedom to be unpopular, freedom to offend, and freedom to be wrong. And so what ideas are no-go zones according to today's bad leaders? Ideas that criticize immigration, or dispute gender ideology, or protest globalist plans like net zero, to name just a few. According to today's neo-liberal politicians and their supporters, such troublesome words are unbearable. Best-selling psychologist Adam Grant explains, "Weak leaders fear dissent as a threat to their power. They silence critics to shield their egos."Bad leaders of the past had little problem getting rid of troublemakers. The Tower of London and the Russian Gulag were perfect solutions. It's tougher in 2026, and social media makes it even more complicated.But Britain has taken up that challenge, and it is now the planet's dark leader. The UK government has created a frightful list of communication crimes. These crimes include making statements that are menacing, or grossly offensive, or that cause anxiety.Britain's police raid numbers over these language laws are shocking: over 9,000 arrests in 2024 and 12,000 in 2023. In addition, there have been countless intimidating police visits across the country. As many social media videos show, British police have almost ceased protecting freedom of speech and have assumed a disturbing new role as oppressors..For some, these events in Britain are hard to believe, but to others, it's indisputable. Robert Kennedy Jr. says it's "like Kafka" and "a Soviet system.” The Critic magazine reports, "Britain is now a world leader in censorship."In the United States, though, things are different.One of the first actions by the Trump administration in 2025 was an executive order, “ending federal censorship” and affirming the right "to speak freely in the public square without government interference.” The order recognized that past governments used “substantial coercive pressure" to suppress free speech. To reverse that, the 2025 order states that the US government shall not “engage in or facilitate any conduct that would incidentally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.”The US has been critical of the UK, and in September 2025, Vice President Vance reaffirmed the US policy, saying, "we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square, agree or disagree."Many would argue that this US policy is consistent with good leadership and strong democratic values. "Free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights,” says the Declaration of the Rights of Man.Expanding on that principle, the US Supreme Court stated, "Debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open.” And in another case, "democracy only works if we protect the 'marketplace of ideas’.”.Meanwhile, back in Canada, the Carney government has examined these two paths and decided to follow Britain.In 2026, the Carney government brought in a wagonload of new laws that will grind down online freedom of expression. In particular, Canadians will soon be monitored by a new federal office called the Digital Safety Commission of Canada. These bureaucrats will "set new standards" to "combat online harms.” They will also collect complaints and "enforce legislative and regulatory obligations.”The Carney government calls this reasonable regulation, but Canada's pundits are not buying that. "Terrifying worst-case scenarios" and "system primed for abuse,” reports the National Post. "Government controlling the internet," says the Western Standard. It's an "Orwellian future,” says Ezra Levant.Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon ridiculed Canadians who disagree with the government, saying they wear "tinfoil hats" and have “paranoia." But his critics would argue he is an out-of-touch politician, like the Soviet leader who declared, "There is no censorship in Poland."The dots are not hard to connect. Cable news and mainstream media, the reliable voices of the government, are dying fast. So as online and social media rapidly become the world's primary news source, neo-liberal governments everywhere are running scared. They are frightened at their loss of information control, but more frightened that everyday people are now reading and talking about a wide range of political ideas, especially ideas these governments don't like.But those who believe in truth and better democracy are not afraid of this new era. They believe, like William Allen White, that "folly will die of its own poison, and the wisdom will survive.” Or as Elon Musk stated, the “best way to fight misinformation is to respond with accurate information, not censorship.”Unfortunately, though, these ideals get a thumbs-down from the Carney government. And so, like in Britain, Canadians who step out of line should get ready for a knock on their door.Gerald Heinrichs is a lawyer in Regina, Saskatchewan.

HEINRICHS: The great gag order — Carney’s government is desperate to kill free speech

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