National Post: 'Yes, “freedom of expression” is guaranteed by our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but there’s a pretty big loophole nobody mentions. The preamble to the Charter explicitly mentions that this freedom is subject to “reasonable limits.”
'There’s also the other part of the Charter where provincial governments can steamroll any freedom they want, provided they publicly announce that they’re doing so.
'This is all very different from the US, where you just have the First Amendment.
'But in Canada, it means that you can get fined or even go to jail based on something you say. Say something on Twitter that “wilfully promotes hatred” and you could go to jail for two years.'