Opinion: There is no freedom unless everyone has access to basic needs

tomtidgewellNovember 25, 2022

Volunteers put together a basket of fresh and canned food at the Calgary Food Bank on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia Photo by Ajin Ghafari /Post Media Archive

Appeals to diverse definitions of “freedom” have been in the news over the past few months, especially in light of emergency laws.

The blockade at the southern Alberta border crossing and the occupation of downtown Ottawa by a convoy of trucks was clearly based on a claim of freedom. It was argued that the right of people to be free from oppressive public health measures and government obligations is guaranteed either by the Constitution or by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Others oppose, their freedoms are limited by the organized power of these protesters, and their freedom to enjoy peace, order, and good government deprived by the destructive actions of the other side. As flags, signs along state highways, Prime Minister comments and vehicle decals show, the debate continues today and remains a volatile and highly divisive issue.

Essentially, both sides are discussing freedom from the power of some sort of countervailing force. Either the “government” or a mobilized citizen group. Both suggest that freedom is denied by the actions, beliefs, and values of others. But I would argue that this instinctive argument about the role of freedom misses a fundamental point. Rather than seeing freedom as being based on the lack of “freedom from” something, we should pay more attention to the role that freedom can play in creating the necessary conditions for a more just, humane and inclusive society. have to pay.

This can be achieved by promoting the “freedom” to do something. And this positive freedom-building can be fueled by the ongoing debate about how the evolution of collective rights and responsibilities is necessary for true individual freedom. Without it, the experience of freedom is just the weighted result of a cynical calculation of power.

For me, freedom is ultimately based on the opportunity to be the best version of myself living in the collective. But I need help with this. I also want to live in politics where others have the opportunity to support and participate. Existence also deteriorated. Supply-side hyperinflation is exacerbating this social problem, with individuals and groups facing further social, economic and cultural marginalization. This is where we can implement corresponding policy measures that better support the expansion and implementation of positive freedoms.

Examples of positive restructuring of this freedom include providing a basic annual income, extending childcare support to working-class families, guaranteeing living wages to care workers, supporting universal medicines, and providing dental care. And so on. I know some people find my list of social democratic initiatives unsettling, but for me that’s the basic point. Unless people are helped to achieve these basic needs, other kinds of freedom are abstract and illusory.

Freedom requires democratic participation. Freedom, therefore, must be based on the idea that we are all truly free to participate in that society. If basic needs are not met, there may, of course, be a lack of focus on the higher concepts of rights and responsibilities that provide both collective and individual freedom.

Dissent is an integral part of democracy. When you disagree with something, you need to be able to say it. Laws, charters, and constitutions are undeniably important institutional markers of the geography of freedom. But beyond this, we also need an honest, open, and ongoing dialogue to really bring to life what freedom means within the changing contours of the commons. This requires, as British politician Roy Hattersley has pointed out, “a level start and an open road”.

Timothy Wilde is a social worker with an interest in transformative public policy and the common good.