Freedom - What is it?

Lately, there's been a lot of talk about freedom, freedom to not wear a mask, freedom to socialize in large groups without social distancing, freedom to believe or not believe in the existence of a COVID 19 virus. But, what is freedom? After all, there are freedoms to and freedoms from. There's the freedom to wear a mask or not but there's also freedom from the danger of the spread of a deadly virus. For better or worse, the focus of freedoms in the West have focused on the freedoms to. Freedoms to speak freely, freedoms to move about freely, freedoms to practice a particular religion. But, what about the freedoms from? 

These have particularly come into focus with the COVID 19 pandemic. In the spring, here in Canada, we focused with some success on the freedom from the spread of the covid virus. All but essential services were closed as well as in-person schooling. The government of Canada worked to provide those who could not work from home with freedom from poverty, hunger and homelessness. 

For the unemployed, the government  provided assured income with the Canadian Emergency Relief Fund, otherwise known as CERB. For students, it offered the Canadian Emergency Student Benefit. And to help save businesses from bankruptcy, it introduced the Canada Emergency Business Account or CEBA that offered interest-free, partially forgivable loans of up to $40,000 to small businesses and not-for-profits. These were all meant to provide the citizens of Canada freedom from financial difficulty. 

The spring, summer, and early fall allowed people freedoms to; socialize in small groups, eat in restaurants, drink in bars and attend in-person school. Epidemiologists warned that this freedom to could only last as long as the warm weather. Then, a second wave would hit and the spread would probably be wider than the first. Some leaders have taken the danger of the second wave seriously. Others have not. Because leadership on the COVID 19 crisis from the top was non-existent in the U.S., focus on freedom from and freedom to has been very fragmented. 

In the spring, coastal regions in the Western and Eastern U.S. were hit first with overcrowded emergency rooms, triage tents, and freezer trucks for the dead. These states focused on a freedom from while those in the central areas continued with their freedoms to. Now, the midwest states are facing worse incidents of infections than on the coast. Nevertheless, Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota, the state with the highest concentration of COVID 19 infections in the U.S. has continued her focus to by encouraging her citizens to shop local and emphasizing that mask wearing is voluntary. 

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota - Superspreader event with 250,000 infected

Like Kristi Noem, Jason Kenney has not mandated masks in public even though his province has the highest rate of infection in the country. Instead, his address to the province a week ago focused on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and people's right of "freedom to." In fact, Kenney's response to hundreds of anti-maskers demonstrating in front of Calgary has been no response. He stated that he can't interfere with people's "freedom of peaceful assembly," freedom of association," and "freedom of thought," and "belief opinion and expression." That, of course, is not true. The Charter "guarantees the right and freedoms . . . subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society." He and his government can write the law. 

Anti-mask rally in Calgary

Unlike the U.S., Canada's constitution has attempted to balance the "freedom to" with the "freedom from." As stated above, our freedom to is restricted by reasonable limits and, in extreme circumstances by the notwithstanding clause. Because it's a balance. Our individual rights and freedoms have to be balanced with our responsibility for others. 

Most people understand this balance. For example, 71% of Albertans support a full-scale "circuit breaker" lockdown. They understand the individual rights and freedoms must be balanced with collective security. A belief is unchecked freedom's to amounts to a form of fanaticism. In a family, nobody has the freedom to do anything. On the other side, a family that provided with children with freedom from everything would be claustrophobic. Children should be given the freedom to venture out from the family but also know, that when they return, they return to security and a freedom from the dangers of the world. 

The same would be true for the husband and wife. Both need freedoms from and freedoms to. Obviously, the balance is different for every family however when one or two members feel there are more freedoms to than the rest of the family, then resentment builds. After all, a feeling of security make families strong. But also love. 

Trump and his followers talk about their love of America as do Albertan talk about their love of their province but only with conditions. For Trump, it was the deep state, the media and all those who support the ideas represented by his versions of each. Likewise, for Jason Kenney and his followers. They love Alberta but only that Alberta that loves oil and doesn't believe in the reality of climate change. 

How long can a leader lead a nation that he has purposely divided? So, while the doctors and nurses and other various front-line workers in Alberta  attempt to provide our freedom from disease, Jason Kenney undermines their efforts with personal attacks and an emphasis on citizens' rights rather than duty. 

Imagine a town is in danger of being overwhelmed by a flood or fire and the mom is attempting to gather the children to evacuate but they rebel because one is in the middle of a battle on his computer game and the other two are watching their favourite television show. The dad isn't expected to side with the children because he doesn't want to listen to their complaints. He's expected to help the mom lead, to provide his children freedom from impending danger. That's what leaders such as Jason Kenney and Donald Trump should be leading. Ignoring the complaints of a vocal minority and standing with the adults represented by healthcare professionals for the protection of all.  

Sobering photo of overcrowded triage unit in Brooklyn back in March