Denialism debate continues

Premier Wab Kinew is correct in saying education rather than criminalization is the way to counter residential-school denialism.

What is at risk in criminalizing residential-school denialism is nothing less than our cherished freedom of speech which, as difficult as that may seem, does include the kind of speech that most people regard as abhorrent.

Christopher Hitchens offers a better defense of freedom of speech than I or anybody else could, in remarks that are available via YouTube.

I would urge your readers to listen to what Hitchens has to say, even though their opinions about dealing with residential-school denialism might clash with that of Wab Kinew or my own.

After all, freedom of speech includes your right to hear something disagreeable as much as a person’s right to say it.

ROSS MCLENNAN Winnipeg