Don’t be too quick to give up your rights, Peterborough

Polls show support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and cellphone location tracking

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” An echoing statement made by Patrick Henry on March 23, 1775 during the Second Virginia Convention which swayed the balance of support for the Americans to declare war on Great Britain.

A different time it was. Henry was, of course, a hypocrite, having been a slave owner. Those seven words, however, spoken in a room made silent by the sound they made leaving Henry’s lips, changed the course of history.

Those same seven words came to mind this week as we have now completed our ninth week of government-ordered shutdowns. Those words have become ever more relevant in a time where our own liberties seem to be eroding.

Of course, considering the ongoing global pandemic, we have accepted the shutdowns, choosing almost wilfully to stay home for the perceived greater good. We still need accountability within our mostly democratic society. The largest issue of concern for me is how the Justin Trudeau Liberals have managed this situation on a federal level.

They were late preventing the virus from entering our country in the first place. They failed to offer a support benefit that would help everyone, leaving thousands of Canadians behind. They tried to implement sweeping tax-and-spend powers beyond the scope of reason. They instituted a firearms prohibition without utilizing our democratic process.

Now there is talk of enforcing a mandatory vaccination protocol for COVID-19, once a vaccine is developed and produced to scale. I’m no anti-vaxxer, but there is a reality here that needs to be considered. Long-term side effects of a rushed and barely tested vaccine could cause more death and suffering than the virus itself. We should question the possibility of forcing such a thing into our veins when this virus would not even harm the vast majority of us.

These are all topics that Canadians should be concerned about regardless of where they stand on the political spectrum. I’m not trying to just attack the Trudeau Liberals for the sake of it, as they are in fact the governing party right now. I’m sure if Stephen Harper had done half of the things Trudeau has, many people would also be outraged.

Unfortunately, it seems most people are not concerned at all. After all, who needs rights when you have the government to take care of your every need?

A recent Ipsos poll of 1,000 Canadians suggested that 72 per cent of Canadians would support mandatory vaccination.

Another online poll produced by Leger on April 28 showed similar results with 60 per cent supporting mandatory vaccination. Additionally, within its polling of 1,515 Canadians, 45 per cent agreed with the government being able to use location data on people’s mobile devices to monitor social distancing and self-isolation measures.

Trudeau has not said what if any protocols there will be when it comes to vaccinations, leaving it up to speculation. In April, he stated that there will be “a fair bit of time to reflect on that in order to get it right.”

I don’t find that to be too reassuring. The idea of forced vaccination for something like this virus is reckless and should not be given a second thought. I guess my body, my choice only matters under certain contexts.

Are we really going to turn a blind eye to this dangerous idea? To allow our rights and liberties to fade into history? The shutdowns, economic collapse and government power-grabbing will have a greater impact over time than the virus ever would have.

It is time to get things back to normal, responsibly and while continuing to protect our most vulnerable. I say, give me liberty, or give me death at this point as there is no way we can remain in this state until a vaccine is developed.

Long-term side effects of a rushed and barely tested vaccine could cause more death and suffering than the virus itself