LETTER: Langley resident looks to 1960 Bill of Rights for cultural direction

Dear Editor,

[Re: Inclusivity is key, Langley Advance Times, Aug. 3]

I am writing with regard to the editorial Inclusivity is the key. I agree with the title, but I’m not so sure about the conclusion “We’ve made great strides in the last half century.”

I believe that as a country, Canada is moving in the opposite direction. We are much more divided than we were 50 or 60 years ago. Sixty-three years ago this week, our federal government passed the Canadian Bill of Rights. The preamble to the bill stated:

An Act for the Recognition and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Preamble

The Parliament of Canada, affirming that the Canadian Nation is founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God, the dignity and worth of the human person and the position of the family in a society of free men and free institutions;

Affirming also that men and institutions remain free only when freedom is founded upon respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law;

I believe the first paragraph of the preamble needs to be reiterated. It states three extremely important facts about the Canadian Society it was attempting to define and protect.

· The supremacy of God

· The dignity and worth of the human person

· The position of the family in a free society.

These three principals were meant to be unifying statements. Instead they seem to have created division.

Since 1960 we have seen the advent of numbers of groups that emphasize their differences rather than inclusivity. There are many such groups but the three that come to mind immediately are: Pride societies, Black Lives Matter, and First Nations rights groups.

The editorial states that the goal of these groups is not to divide people into groups but to remind us that what makes us different is less important than what we share and who we are as individuals. If this is truly their aim, it is not working. A parade that shows how different you are can not possibly bring unity.

Although these groups claim to be about inclusivity, the very fact they are emphasizing how different they are and that their differences are a reason for special treatment creates division.

If we could revisit the three principles of our Bill of Rights and stop emphasizing the colour of our skin or the fact that we are queer or straight, we would be a much more inclusive country.

Diversity creates an interesting society, but it does not create community. Community is created by agreeing to and believing similar moral and spiritual values, and the rule of law.

David Nielsen, Walnut Grove

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• Learn more about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

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