I am Joseph Orosz, a one-time broadcast journalist in Hungary. Since I left my country of origin, I have been a university professor in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa teaching political science and broadcast journalism. I am a kind of traveller from the East to the West who finally disembarked in a safe harbor. .
Having spent almost three decades in political journalism in Hungary, then working as a university professor on the other side of the Atlantic, and therefore moving from practice to theory could probably give me a chance to make nice and easy comparisons. .
First and foremost, I find it important to emphasize that I do not have the intention of comparing Hungary with Canada. This is because I am not a certain celebrated Hungarian political analyst with full armament to juxtapose apples and pears in order to arrive at a conclusion that both of them are fruit. Albeit; in fact, one of them seems to be unfit for human consumption in the very current political climate. .
Since the lectures I have held at different universities dive into the abyss of my subject matter, I am going to be focusing on three topics: the state of the freedom of speech and expression in Canada, why different cultures and traditions do not lead to strained relations even in a university classroom, and finally I will try to find an answer to an enigmatic description of my new homeland, why Canada is a "whatever country." " It's a coinage invented by one of my students at the University of Ottawa. .
I believe these three aspects, namely the freedom of speech and opinion, multiculturalism and tolerance in Canada through the eyes of a university professor of Hungarian origin are appropriate components to explore the subject of my lecture. The right to free speech is one of the most important democratic freedoms. It enables the flow of information and encourages diversity of opinion in the public sphere, as well as the criticism of political leadership, all of which are in the public interest.