Minority rights must be protected

In the Toronto Star a recent letter to the editor caught my attention and I have provided it below as "food for thought".

I agree with Mike Milner that freedom of speech is a "cornerstone of democracy." However, it is not the only cornerstone of democracy. Protection of minority rights is a fundamental feature of any liberal democracy. Thus, the right of minority groups to be free from discrimination should not depend solely on a group's ability to influence the marketplace of ideas by writing letters to the editor or boycotting media organizations, especially since the marketplace of ideas is not equally accessible to all.

"Journalism" that promotes and normalizes racism against minority groups poses a far greater threat to liberal democracy than do Canada's hate laws and human rights commissions. And so while I applaud Milner's undoubtedly "good intentions" in defending freedom of speech, I fear that protection of speech that breeds hate and indifference to hate constitutes the real paving of "the road to hell."

Azeezah Kanji, Markham