This is unacceptable. I refuse to let ideologues dictate which words I use to refer to people. There are two genders, there will always be two genders, and I will not use some made-up pronouns in order to placate confused strangers who I don't even have personal affiliations with.
Canadians should be outraged and disgusted with their legislature. Remember everybody, this is what voting for the Liberal party gets you.
I identify as "master". How many liberals out there are going to insult me with their hate-speech by not calling me by my preferred pronoun?
@tomcatti Please take the time to listen to Dr. Peterson serve witness to the Canadian Senate on Bill C-16 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnIAAkSNtqo and to read lawyer Jared Brown's analysis of C-16 https://litigationguy.wordpress.com/2016/12/24/bill-c-16-whats-the-big-deal/
If you read the actual text of the bill : http://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-16/third-reading , there is every reason to believe that not using a person's preferred pronouns could be considered a hate crime. Also, please read sections 318 and 319 of the Criminal Code. http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/page-72.html If I refuse to refer to my employee as "xe" and, they believe, my motivation is based on "bias, prejudice or hate", that could be considered a hate crime. These are the laws governing my country, I do not think anyone is being hysterical when valid concerns are raised. Also, I am a layperson but I do my research, as should everyone, yourself included. Don't just believe what the media tells you, check it yourself and form your own opinions.
@tomcatti The bill protects gender identity and gender expression as rights that are safeguarded against discrimination. It is absolutely within reason to say that this law extends to pronouns, as Dr Peterson has been warning us for months. This is definitely an emotional topic if you care about free speech.
CBC
Stopped reading there.
You are letting your emotions get the better of you and your commentary is suffering because of it. I know this contract you have with this site probably compels you to be very active on it, but this "response" to this article is way over the top.
Stop getting hysterical and whipping up the layperson (who won't even do their research) into a lather. This is the only mention of pronoun issues in the bill I could find outside of right-wing sites: "Manitoba Senator Don Plett... who has led the charge against similar legislation in the past, was fearful that the bill would force him to use gender neutral pronouns when addressing trans people, a fear supporters of the bill say is unfounded." (CBC.ca)
It's been pretty hard on the morale being French Canadian in the last few years.
I'm sure anti-thoughtcrime bills are on the way. Canada, at the very least, leads the way in showing us what not to do...
