Canadians discuss freedom of speech: Individual rights versus group protection

Freedom of speech as an individual right is often thought to interfere with the collective rights of vulnerable groups to protection against threats of violence and demeaning group insults. This study analyzes interviews with 78 Canadian civic leaders that probed their views on this possible rights conflict. For most respondents, freedom of speech is not a core value, but one that must be reconciled with equality, nondiscrimination, and …