Dean Skoreyko: Civil rights should not be traded away for 2010 Olympics

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      By Dean Skoreyko

      As the municipalities of Vancouver, Richmond, and Whistler prepare for the upcoming excitement of hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, there are many volunteers and workers who are putting the finishing touches on the global event. We know that there are many people who are proud that this province and this country will be hosting these Games, and many of us count down the days with eager anticipation.

      There are, however, some people in this country who are not looking forward to the Olympic Games, many of whom have announced their intention to protest and demonstrate against them when the time arrives. Because we have invested so much time, money, and effort into making these Olympics a shining example of the best of what we have to offer in our country, there are those who would stifle the opinions of these demonstrators and protesters.

      But in Canada we live in a constitutional monarchy governed by a parliamentary democracy elected by the people, and, as such, freedom of speech and expression is considered a fundamental right. Section 2 of our charter of rights describes our freedom of speech and assembly in unequivocal terms. Although many of us in the province of British Columbia look forward to hosting the Olympic Games, we must in a free society acknowledge and make provisions for dissenting opinions and actions. To that end, the B.C. Liberal government’s Bill 13, which includes amendments to the Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act, runs counter to these basic principles. A government press release about the bill states:

      Amendments will provide the municipalities of Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler with temporary enforcement powers to enable them to swiftly remove illegal signs and graffiti during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The legislation does not change the existing scope of authority to regulate signs and graffiti. Rather, it provides, on a temporary basis, a faster way of removing signs and graffiti that violate municipal bylaws during the short period the Games are underway.

      The idea of creating a law which would encourage the removal of politically dissenting signs, even temporarily, is an affront to our basic liberties. There are no provisions for a “temporary” suspension of inherent rights in our Constitution, and I suspect that the Liberal government must have known this when they chose to submit this bill. The only reasonable conclusion that one can derive from this move, then, is to find that this government believes in two kinds of rights: those which further the interests of the political party in power, and those which do not.

      The prime minister visited our province recently, and said in an interview that he “would not support any actions in the name of security that stifle political free expression”. It’s important to note that the federal government has contributed a lot of money toward the Olympic Games for the very purposes of security, and yet Prime Minister Stephen Harper recognizes the importance that civil and human rights play in our society, even when the expression of those rights are based on views unpopular with the government or even mainstream opinion.

      Not only does the amendment effectively call for the banning of dissenting opinion, it would allow municipal officers to enter private property to remove illegal signs with only 24 hours notice.

      The B.C. Conservative Party believes that our fundamental rights and freedoms are inalienable, and beyond the purview of government—any government—to manipulate, trade away, or infringe upon for political purposes. I encourage the mayors and the councils of Vancouver, Richmond, and Whistler to reject the infringement of private property rights and the curtailment of free speech, free assembly, and basic civil liberties for political expedience.

      Canada is founded on the constitutional right to freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association. We violate those principles at our own peril.

      Dean Skoreyko is a director of the B.C. Conservative Party.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      Nobody

      Oct 26, 2009 at 11:23pm

      All opposition politicians not in power state the same thing. When they get into power, mysteriously they change their minds. Democracy is merely rule by the lowest common denominator, and if voting could actually make any real difference it would be illegal; furthermore, if not voting could make any difference, it too would be illegal. The political process is flawed, doesn't properly represent all interests, and doesn't deserve legitimization. I personally don't vote because it just encourages them. Thanks for the sentiment, but it is not entirely credible.

      Real

      Oct 27, 2009 at 12:41am

      All opposition politicians not in power state the same thing but when they get into power they nest tend to do the opposite as well..

      Outlier

      Oct 27, 2009 at 2:30pm

      Actually, someone who doesn't vote as admitted by the first poster, is the one without credibility. Carping from the sidelines and hiding behind "they're all the same" logic is disingenuous at best and is a self serving effort to feed your own ego.

      Dan Albas

      Oct 27, 2009 at 9:28pm

      The sign bylaws are part of hosting the Olympics; they are meant to curb those who would use the games as a guerilla marketing tool- to try and get their logo on the air at little to no cost without being a paying sponsor.

      I agree with Dean that freedom of expression is one of our most important rights and that we need to continue to protect them but I feel this article has taken the subject a little too far!

      Thanks Dean!