In my latest National Post column I remind politicians that John Stuart Mill’s classic defence of free speech applies every bit as much to social media as to the spoken, written or broadcast word.

(You can watch the beginning and hear the rest of my testimony on the subject to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on June 4, as well as that of Mark Steyn and Lindsay Shepherd, on ParlVu (my prepared remarks begin at 9:09).

On June 4 I appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights to testify on online hate, and urged them not to censor even loathsome opinions because truth will prevail in a contest of ideas. You can watch the beginning of the session and hear the rest including my testimony on ParlVu (my prepared remarks begin at 9:09).

See also my June 5 National Post column adapted from that testimony.

In the National Post I condemn Mark Zuckerberg’s clueless call for global censorship in response to ugly behaviour online.

Today I’m really excited to announce the launch of a new project, the Climate Discussion Nexus, to promote a polite, intelligent discussion of climate policy and the science behind it. We’re producing a weekly newsletter, videos, a blog and other media, and offering a forum for debate, analysis and data.

I’m the Executive Director and you can find more information at the CDN website, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube, get our weekly newsletter (on climatediscussionnexus.com, lower right corner), share the initiative with your friends, colleagues and family, and consider donating to support this venture going forward.

At the Climate Discussion Nexus there are no sacred cows and no taboos except rudeness and ignorance.

Nobody’s happy with the current state of our national conversation on climate change. It’s time to open up the discussion for real.

So please join us and help spread the word.