The right to ignore a bylaw doesn’t exist

By Letter to the Editor on April 22, 2021.

Editor: Recently, I and four other masked customers encountered a person in an aisle of a local hardware store who was not following the mask by-law imposed both by the City of Lethbridge and the province of Alberta. When I asked him why he was not following the order, he indicated that he was acting upon his rights and freedoms which he felt dictated a right to not wear a mask if he so chose.
He also indicated that our Canadian soldiers fought in World War One and World War Two so that we Canadians would have these rights and freedoms and he was honoring their commitment to our country. I tried to reason with him but he was very steadfast in his beliefs.
That got me thinking that perhaps this was the reasoning of all the other many people in Lethbridge and area who refuse to wear a mandated mask in public as so ordered.
Now, I must confess that I am not an expert on the Constituent Act of 1982, which outlines the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
However, when I looked into it, it was what I didn’t find that may be of interest to those people who think they can disregard the current provincial law and/or local by-law concerning the wearing of masks in public.
There are five charter freedoms and six charter rights and nowhere did I read that we had the right or freedom to disregard a legislated by-law (I went through it quick so maybe I missed that part.)
As for World War One, Canada entered this war because Britain did in 1914 to defend Belgium.
Canada entered on its own free will when it realized that Germany was becoming a threat to the existence of western civilizations.
These wars had nothing to do with the rights and freedoms of Canadian citizens per se, from what I can see. It is vital that all people get on board with the health protocol so that we may end this disgusting pandemic.
There is no valid reason that anyone should not be in compliance.
Kent Perry
Lethbridge