Free speech and the cruel shackles of empathy and mutual respect

In Canada, we tend to value freedom of speech very highly, and it's often said that the best way to counter objectionable speech is with more speech.

That's the first thought that crosses my mind in the case of University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson, who declares in a series of YouTube videos that he will not honour trans* peoples' chosen pronouns, and opposes trans* human rights protections, all in the name of combating "political correctness."