The high point for individual liberty and freedom was of course the American
Declaration of Independence. Jefferson, Adams and Patrick Henry and others
were the most ardent proponents of individual freedom, liberty, and rights.
Between these two ends, the common men and women of society have struggled
to maintain moderation and restraint on both the government and upon individuals.
The scorecard in most major Canadian cities looks dismal for individual
liberty. Traffic cameras are used to spy on and record the public's moves;
the intention was to catch traffic violators. Private property owners are
fined for allowing patrons to smoke in their bars. People are losing their
hard-earned property and livelihood in bankruptcy due to smoking bylaws.
The police have created special programs that allow them to stop each and
every vehicle, and inspect whether you are wearing a seatbelt or have proper
documentation; the intention was to stop impaired drivers. In Ottawa, people
are ticketed and fined for walking on the frozen Rideau Canal, or having
dogs in a park. Ottawa Hydro will identify to the police suspicious consumers
of electricity, and cut off their power, without the benefit of a judge
or jury.
Federally and provincially, the concept of liberty is buried under the
collective layers of bureaucratic regulations. Gun registration that allows
the search and seizure of people's homes and property is now legal; the
intention was to reduce crime. Revenue Canada has started a database to
track our travels and holidays; the intention is to stop terrorists. Constitutionally
individual property is not recognized as a right nor protected as such,
although the intention of law is to protect persons and property. Plant,
animals, habitat, and wetlands are protected, but what protection is afforded
the homeowner, the businessman, and the farmer.
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« It is clear to all that governments are adept at creating new laws,
rules and regulations, but seldom remove them. The casual actions of a
person today are often the criminal act of tomorrow. The intentions of
the law today are forgotten by the police and lawmakers of tomorrow.
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These people require government approvals and reams of paperwork, regulations,
and licenses to install a well, or to landscape their cottage lot. Parents
who take responsibility for their children and provide love, nurturing,
and discipline must be on the lookout for the outstretched arm of the Children's
aid Society. This agency can remove children and place them in bureaucratic
institutions and foster care if a parent disagrees with them. The school
boards are allowed to lock down our schools, and our children, and mete
out punishment without consequence under the omnipotent zero tolerance
policy. Zero tolerance is a bureaucratic phrase that justifies "zero thinking."
It is clear to all that governments are adept at creating new laws, rules
and regulations, but seldom remove them. The casual actions of a person
today are often the criminal act of tomorrow. The intentions of the law
today are forgotten by the police and lawmakers of tomorrow.
To all of the people who are clamouring and supporting these abuses, and
cheering for greater safety: what will you say, when you are imprisoned,
or fined for having a beer in your backyard, eating fatty foods, or creating
smoke from your BBQ? What will you do when your child is taken away, or
your house expropriated? Will you think it is still in the public interest
to fine or imprison you? Or will you cry out, and ask others to defend
your liberty?
There is an axiom that is forgotten: "If you wish for me to defend your
rights, then you must be here to respect and defend mine." Our courts and
bureaucracy have come to believe that individual rights are not real, only
privileges that need justification. But what defines a right is the knowledge
that it never needs to be justified.
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