Mr. Brin lived in the Soviet Union until he was nearly 6 years old, and he said the experience of living under a totalitarian system that censored political speech influenced his thinking — and Google’s policy.

"Political speech" didn't directly influence him aged six, but the country, culture and attitude a lack of it created apparently did. Moreover, nothing in his comment claims he understood it was influencing him at the time... but it's perfectly reasonable that as a grown man with a clearer understanding of both politics and civil liberties, he would think back to his childhood experiences, combine that with what he now knows of the political situation at the time, and come to conclusions regarding the reasons for his childhood experiences.

I'm of two minds on this whole issue...carte blanche for the Conservatives will take us down a Republican party path that the US has followed and I don't want that; on the other hand I'm tired of the apologist, relativist Liberal party policies where they put politics ahead of good government.

I'm not an expert on Canadian politics (just the UK and USA takes up more than enough of my time), but I was under the impression that you were not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, hadn't suffered a serious terrorist attack in years, and haven't had much trouble from al Qaeda ever since they first rose to prominence after 9/11.

You're also retiring your over-the-top anti-terror legislation in favour of more sensible, well-thought-out laws, and seem well on track to putting the entire present world problems behind you.

Given even the UK is in Iraq and Afghanistan, has suffered al Qaeda-linked terrorist incidents and has a prime minister who right at this very moment is trying to do to us what the Republicans did the the USA, and the USA is more fucked militarily, politically, economically, strategically and in terms of international reputation than it's been in a long time, how isn't it better in Canada?