Jay Stratton @Jay Stratton - 18d
While I don't think I can dispute that really given some of the war-mongers we've had in office, I do think with Trump in office that will cease. I was more referring to the comparison between Canada and the US regarding how safe guarded citizens rights are: 1. Freedom of Speech: The U.S. First Amendment provides strong protections for free speech, which are more robust than those in Canada. U.S. citizens have broader rights to express potentially controversial or offensive speech without government intervention, except in very limited circumstances. In contrast, Canada has laws against hate speech, which some argue can limit free expression to protect against discrimination. 2. Right to Bear Arms: The Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution grants citizens the right to bear arms, which is not paralleled in Canada, where gun ownership is more regulated. This is seen by some as a fundamental right in the U.S., providing citizens with the means to defend themselves, and by extension, their other rights. 3. Checks and Balances: The U.S. system of government includes a strong separation of powers and checks and balances that are designed to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. This structure can protect individual liberties by ensuring that legislative, executive, and judicial branches can scrutinize each other's actions. In Canada, while there are checks and balances, the parliamentary system allows for more centralized power, particularly with the use of the 'notwithstanding clause' which allows the government to override certain Charter rights under specific conditions. 4. Constitutional Entrenchment: The U.S. Bill of Rights is deeply entrenched in the U.S. Constitution, making amendments very difficult, which some argue provides more stability and protection for rights. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, while part of the Constitution, includes provisions like Section 1 and the notwithstanding clause (Section 33), which permit rights to be limited or overridden under certain conditions, potentially making rights less absolute. Property Rights: There's an argument that property rights are more robustly protected in the U.S. under constitutional law compared to Canada, where property rights are not explicitly mentioned in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, leading to some debates about the extent of these protections.
