Article content

The first fundamental freedom to be violated in a pandemic is, obviously, freedom of assembly. But it is not the only freedom Canadian governments have curtailed lately.

Consider the cherry blossoms in Toronto’s High Park. The annual festival to look at their fleeting colour is an instance of a civil liberty — both “civil,” from the Latin for citizen, meaning for everyone in society, and a “liberty,” from the Latin for freedom, because you can just walk on by, any time of day you like.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or It's not just civil liberties. Many other charter rights have been violated in COVID-19 pandemic Back to video

Not any more. High Park will be locked down until the blossoms are dead on the ground because people cannot be trusted or reasonably expected to stay far enough apart. Similar copses around the city will be fenced off and patrolled. The festival, cancelled in real life but offered as a virtual tour, is the latest illustration that civil liberties are different than other rights. People can give up civil liberties, and governments can pick and choose among them in response to circumstance, in a way they cannot, for example, with human rights.