In Canada, we tend to value freedom of speech very highly, and it's often said that the best way to counter objectionable speech is with more speech.

That's the first thought that crosses my mind in the case of University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson, who declares in a series of YouTube videos that he will not honour trans* peoples' chosen pronouns, and opposes trans* human rights protections, all in the name of combating "political correctness."

The coup d'état that happened at Wednesday's Halifax Pride meeting is an important warning for progressives everywhere -- our organizing work is never finished.

I won't get into the details of the meeting. El Jones was present and her take is in-depth and required reading if you're following the saga.

What I'm more interested is the weaponization of free speech over the course of this debate.

Free speech is a fundamental value of Western society, just like democracy and equality among citizens. There are elements of free speech that are critical and must be defended vigorously.

Can anyone in Alberta's mainstream media seriously claim to have been surprised by the vile stream of threats, abuse and harassment unleashed on a Mount Royal University student when they torqued a non-story about her supposed "political correctness" into an international sensation?

The current war against political correctness saw the conservative side celebrate a major victory when University of Chicago dean of students John Ellison warned future undergraduates that trigger warnings and safe spaces would not be tolerated on campus.

"Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual safe spaces where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own," Ellison wrote in a letter to the incoming student body.