Free Speech Is Being Regulated Out of Existence in Canada— And Women Are on the Front Line
- Jan 7
- 2 min read
There is a myth that censorship arrives loudly — with bans, arrests, and authoritarian decrees.
Liste to the Space As-It-Happened:
In reality, it arrives politely.
Through emails.
Through regulators.
Through “professional standards.”
In this episode of North American Angst, Peeja, Emmi, & Carol speak with Lisa Bildy, a Canadian constitutional lawyer and Executive Director of Free Speech Union Canada, about how speech is being curtailed not by criminal law — but by institutions that claim to protect the public.
When Speech Becomes a Professional Liability
Lisa’s story begins inside the legal profession itself.
In 2017, Canadian lawyers were asked to attest to a “Statement of Principles” committing them to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion — not only in practice, but broadly. Refusal was treated as professional misconduct.
What concerned Lisa wasn’t inclusion — it was compelled ideology.
Lawyers, she argued, must remain independent. Once professionals are required to affirm a political worldview, justice collapses.
She spoke up. Others joined. The requirement was dismantled.
But the backlash revealed how deep the enforcement culture had already gone.
The Amy Hamm Case — When Off-Duty Free Speech Becomes Punishable in Canada
Perhaps the most chilling example discussed is the case of nurse Amy Hamm.
Amy was investigated by her professional regulator for gender-critical speech expressed entirely outside of work — including a billboard supporting J.K. Rowling.
No patients were harmed. No workplace misconduct occurred.
Yet Amy endured 22 days of tribunal hearings.
The ruling?
Gender-critical speech itself was deemed discriminatory.
This case now stands as a warning to every regulated professional in Canada.
Teachers, Therapists, and the Silence Economy
Teachers describe staff rooms where only one political view is permitted.
Therapists fear losing licenses for refusing ideological language.
Students are disciplined for asking questions.
Lisa explains why many cases never surface: The process itself is the punishment.
Loss of income. Public shaming. Years of stress.
Most comply quietly. Not because they agree — but because survival demands it.
Why Free Speech Must Be Defended Collectively
This is why Free Speech Union Canada exists.
Individuals cannot fight regulators alone.
But collectively — with legal backing, shared resources, and cultural pressure — resistance becomes possible.
Lisa reminds us that history is cyclical.
Freedom contracts.
Then people push back.
But only if they refuse silence.
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