Position EssayScott Holzli

If one would seek to protect their own civil and social rights they must also protect

others. The source is obviously a strong supporter of liberalism and equality. A nation cannot be

liberal unless it acknowledges and protects the equal rights of every individual. If we were to

allow a single group’s or individual’s rights taken away we open a door that would allow a

similar thing to occur to us. To ensure that an individual can hold onto their rights there must

be protection of all individuals and their rights.

If people’s rights are to be removed by a government it should always be a temporary

measure. There are some cases where people’s rights have been taken away inside of liberal

democracies. These are usually the result of the breaking of a social contract or a reaction to a

disaster. Peoples rights would be taken away to ensure security and the ability to restore the

peace. But in a liberal society these acts are always temporary and people’s rights are later

restored. An example would be the War Measures Act which has been invoked by the Canadian

government on three separate occasions but each time the rights of the Canadian people were

restored. An example of where rights were not restored would be