Rights vs Responsiblity

Lee Hull | May 05, 2021

There has been a lot of mention about Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982). People, including our MPP talk about how they have inalienable rights in Canada. This is very true, we have many rights put forth in that document. What people tend to forget is that for every right that we have, we also have a responsibility. Such responsibilities as: obeying the law, taking responsibility for oneself, serving on a jury, voting and helping others in your community, to mention a few. I believe not infecting others with a deadly virus (and potentially killing them) would fall into the category of helping others. So while we have many rights, we do also have many responsibilities which are equally important. The charter lists all of these. Perhaps we should all have another look at the document and see what is expected of us as Canadian citizens, not just cherry-pick the ones that suit our needs.

Lee Hull