Bill C-16 does not impinge on freedom of speech in any way in Canada. Things are no different than they were before in that regard. Literally the only change that Bill C-16 has made is the addition of “gender identity or expression” to the list of protected categories. That’s it. That’s literally all. What this means is, transgenders officially now have become a group of people who have the right to receive equal treatment and equal protection under the law. It is a nod from the government of Canada that transgenders deserve respect, and that their diversity has value. Recognizing, valuing, and protecting diversity is a core part of the Constitution of Canada, and I think it's a good thing. I see freedom of hateful expression in the US as something repugnant, and I'm proud to live in a country where you can be a hateful and racist as you like in the privacy of your own home, and as an anonymous asshole on the Internet, but if you try that shit in public, if you spew hatred towards someone based on race, religion, etcetera, the law is definitely not on your side. And Bill C-16 simply spells out that transgenders are a protected group. That's fucking it.
Not sure exactly what the laws are in the US, but in Canada you can't say any old thing if it's hateful. You are not protected by the Constitution if you start calling a Black person the N word, or a woman the C word. You are not protected if you started verbally harassing or discriminating against people based on race, religion, and now transgender. This is all Bill C-16 is - adding transgenders to the list of protected groups. Bill C-16 simply adds transgenders to the list of categories of people protected from discrimination. You can't discriminate against someone in Canada based on, for example, race religion, sex, and disability. Now transgender has been added to the list. That is literally all. I know I'm being repetitive, but some of you people on here need a couple of extra knocks on the head.
There will not be one case in Canada - guaranteed - of anyone bothering to hire a lawyer and go to the courts to challenge the use of pronouns.