> Except Free Speech is a Binary, and that is exactly what Canada is doing,... punishing thought crimes.
A "spoken crime" is not a "thought crime". There's no chip in your head, you're free to think whatever you like, even if you're not necessarily free to say anything you like.
You cross the line into thought crimes when you ascribe intent and presume to know the state of mind and thought process behind a given piece of speech.
Hmm, do you think there are some things you can say that would classify as an action you could be arrested for rather than an idea?
For example, yelling "Fire!" in a crowded building, offering a bribe, and threatening someone all seem like actions you could be arrested for in the USA where the only evidence is your speech (or a recording of it). Would these qualify as thought crimes to you and if so do you think there is a developed nation with free speech where they are accepted?
How about threatening violence against a member of a protected class? Is the crime worse because of that persons protected status, even if that didn’t matter to the perpetrator?
A "spoken crime" is not a "thought crime". There's no chip in your head, you're free to think whatever you like, even if you're not necessarily free to say anything you like.