Elon Musk Treads Deeper Into Canada Free Speech Debate

Elon Musk Delves Further Into Canada’s Free Speech Debate

May 15, 2024 TruthUSA

Elon Musk’s recent commitment to covering the legal expenses of individuals facing consequences for expressing their opinions on his X social media platform is immersing him further into Canada’s free speech debate.

This week, his platform reaffirmed its earlier promise to financially support the appeal of a Brampton, Ont., pediatrician who received professional backlash for criticizing Canada’s lockdown measures during the COVID era, entangling Mr. Musk in a second potentially lengthy legal dispute in Canada.

Canada now plays a significant role in his legal battles, with half of the four free speech cases currently being funded globally by X focusing on helping individuals assert their right to free speech on the platform and creating environments free from bullying, harassment, or discrimination.

Dr. Kaur Kulvinder Gill, the pediatrician facing a $300,000 cost order in her quest to uphold her reputation, is also appealing a court ruling that upheld three public cautions issued by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario against her.

“X has already committed to funding the appeal,” Lisa Bildy, Ms. Gill’s lawyer, informed The Epoch Times via email on May 13.

The cautions stem from tweets Ms. Gill posted on Twitter (now X) during the August 2020 lockdowns. One tweet stated, “There is absolutely no medical or scientific reason for this prolonged, harmful and illogical lockdown,” while another said, “If you have not yet figured out that we don’t need a vaccine, you are not paying attention.”

Related Stories

Brampton Doctor Backed by Elon Musk to Appeal Court Decision Upholding Rebuke for Anti-Lockdown Tweets

Musk Takes Aim at Australia ‘Suppressing Rights’ Amid Social Media Probe

X is also covering the legal fees of Dr. Matt Strauss, an Ontario-based critical care physician and former Queen’s University employee who spoke out against Canadian COVID health policies on Twitter before Musk purchased the platform.

“X is proud” to support Dr. Strauss’s lawsuit against Queen’s University, as stated in a post on May 3.

The company acknowledged that after Dr. Strauss voiced his opposition to widespread pandemic lockdowns and mandates on his X account, Queen’s University “publicly ostracized him, retaliated against him, and ultimately forced him to resign because his opinions did not align with the university’s political views.”

“X supports Dr. Strauss’s efforts to defend his free speech rights without fear of unfair retaliation!” the company proclaimed.

Mr. Musk, referring to his Twitter acquisition as a $44 billion investment in free speech, has frequently clashed with the Canadian government on free speech matters, most recently criticizing the proposed Online Harms Act on May 7 in a post as “a terrible assault on Canadians’ right to freely express themselves.”

The Online Harms Act, or Bill C-63, includes provisions that could allow a judge to impose certain restrictions on an individual, such as curfews and electronic monitoring, for up to a year if the court suspects the person might commit a hate crime in the future.

Aside from the two Canadian cases, X is also financing the legal battles of Chloe Happe, a Missouri woman fired by Block, a payments processing company, for purportedly satirical posts on X, and actress Gina Carano, who alleges she was dismissed from the TV series “The Mandalorian” due to her social media posts.

X additionally provided legal representation for Juan David Campolargo, a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who faced disciplinary action and the threat of termination from his on-campus job for discussing free food on X. The disciplinary measures were ultimately reversed.

Source link