People don’t have the right to disrupt lives because they don’t get their way

By Lethbridge Herald on February 19, 2022.

Editor:

Just to clear up any confusion as to whether the Alberta highway blockade was a lawful or unlawful protest:

Under the Charter, “Canadians have the right to protest – regardless of whether the cause is left, right, centre, trucker, whatever. 

But any time that interferes more than minimally and temporarily with the rights of others – and particularly when it moves from persuasion by words to physical interference – it ceases to enjoy the protection of the law.” (stole that from the Globe and Mail because it sums it up nicely). 

 In addition, in Alberta we have Bill 1, the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act (which the UCP brought in). This Act protects essential infrastructure from damage or interference caused by blockades, protests or similar activities, which can cause significant public safety, social, economic and environmental consequences.

And it legally defines essential infrastructure to include highways. As such the blockade of Highway 4 at Coutts was unlawful and is not saved by s. 2 of the Charter. 

I am not a fan of Trudeau and I did not vote for him, but he openly ran his platform on vaccine mandates and was elected. How is anyone surprised that he continues supports vaccine mandates? 

That is how democracy works. Just because you don’t get your way or have the party you wanted elected does not give you a legal right to throw a tantrum and screw up everyone else’s lives and the economy.

Grace Richmond

Lethbridge