On July 1, Canada Day, we mark the greatness of this land and what it can still become. Freedom is one of the greatest hallmarks of Western civilization, but unless it is imperilled, it is too often taken for granted. As our national anthem proclaims, this is “The True North strong and free.” The magnificence of Canada has been its ability to incorporate nearly a thousand years of English history and tradition concerning freedom while maintaining a unique Canadian identity.
Canada’s Heritage of Freedom
Canada is far more than a land of kindness, peacekeeping, and health care. It is a kingdom of explorers, entrepreneurs, and soldiers that, when at its best, can sit atop the whole world, enabled by the very freedom baked into this great land. The Canadian revolution involved slow and gradual constitutional reform while respecting our shared heritage with Britain, culminating in the Constitution Act of 1982.
Canada’s Constitution, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and Britain’s Magna Carta of 1215 all proclaim freedom while invoking God. “Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law,” begins our Constitution. “Know that before God,” says Magna Carta. The Declaration of Independence insists people’s rights were “endowed by their Creator.” These three momentous documents recognize that freedom is not bestowed by man but granted by the Divine. We talk of freedom being a right when it is, in fact, sacred.
The Price of Liberty
We have exercised that right for so long it is second nature, forgetting sometimes that it was at places like Vimy and Dieppe that it was enshrined in blood. We should never take it for granted, for danger lies from those in authority and within society who abhor what we are. Governments, by their nature, like to be in control. Freedom, for those in charge, can be an irritant.
No better example of this is the invocation of the Emergencies Act by the Trudeau government. The Ottawa Freedom Convoy was a maddening annoyance that impacted people’s lives, but it was far from a national emergency, as a federal court and appeal court found. The appeal court wrote: “Freedom of expression is a fundamental freedom because in a free, pluralistic and democratic society we prize a diversity of ideas and opinions for their inherent value both to the community and to the individual.”
Freedoms Guaranteed by the Charter
Other freedoms guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms include freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of peaceful assembly, as well as the right to life, and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure and unwarranted arrest. Respecting personal freedom in Canada long predates the 1982 Constitution. On this Canada Day, let us cherish and defend the dominion of freedom that defines our nation.
