Wearing a mask isn't an erosion of freedoms

Now that more and more places are implementing mandatory mask laws and bylaws one of the common defences against wearing them is that it infringes upon our freedoms.

And while there is a shade of truth to that. It is mostly BS. In short, yes, you lose a freedom you had before, but the justification in enforcing it is in strong alignments with other ways in which "freedoms" are restricted.

Freedom of speech for instance does nothing to keep you out of jail should you utter death threats. Likewise, freedom of religion doesn't protect those who believe that their religion requires them to kill another.

This is because there are constitutional rights which our charter grants to all citizens which run deeper than these. That no law shall allow for one Canadian to rob another of those rights. And among them are rights to things like life and safety. Canada was founded upon a promise to protect its citizens. Even from themselves.

The primary purpose non-medical masks serve is not to protect YOU from the virus, but the protect YOU from SPREADING it to others. Given the incubation period and rates of asymptomatic infection, believing you're not sick isn't justification enough that it should permit a person to make the decision that THEY don't need that mask.

In fact, I think mask laws are much easier to defend than laws against things like public nudity. It is another case where we are being forced to wear garments to cover ourselves, but which raises very little resistance when enforced, despite the fact that is unlikely to cause grievous harm, mentally or physically to someone else.

Refusing to wear a mask could quite literally lead to you being the cause of another person's death.

Refusing to wear a mask KNOWING the risks, is I think, meriting of murder charges. I don't think it will escalate there. I think people are scared and confused and perhaps even angry. And I think, broadly speaking, that we understand this.

Ultimately though, if a case on the legality of this ever makes it to the Supreme Court, then, as long as sufficient evidence exists to make the case that not wearing a mask poses a legitimate threat to the health and safety of other Canadians, then I think it will be a no-brainer that these mask laws be permitted to stand.

And, I think it is equally foolish to pretend that this is in some way a massive infringement of our rights.