The Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown the world into craziness. Though we just went through the “freedom convoy”, it appears that Canada will not be calming down any time soon, as Russia invades Ukraine. The overlap of these two huge political events has forced many people to draw parallels between the messaging and government action in Russia and Ukraine and the same in Canada. Both movements say they are fighting for freedom and the upholding of human rights, but can any true comparison be made between the two? Are the Russian and Canadian governments overstepping power in similar ways? Or has the pandemic and the privilege of living in the relative safety of Canada caused people to lose their understanding of the role of government and the government’s rights in taking away freedom?
Canada and Russia have extremely different government styles; both style themselves as democracies, but with huge discrepancies in practices and acceptability of control. Many people believe that Russia is in fact a dictatorship under the rule of President Valdimir Putin, and the invasion of Ukraine, which it appears that most of the Russian citizenry is against, certainly lends weight to this argument. Canada, however, is proudly democratic, and holds the common beliefs that accompany that sort of government — namely the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which must be upheld before any other action, and which is applied equally to everyone (at least in theory).
It seems that many Canadians are of the belief that the Charter has been paused in light of the COVID-19 restrictions that continue to be in place across Canada. In response, thousands of people have flooded the highways and streets of various major cities across Canada to show their displeasure. The protests have been gaining traction since January 2022, as more vaccination mandates were rolled out.
People are arguing that the government should be reassessing their rulings to align with the Charter’s coverage of freedom and human rights. Accordingly, protestors have been trying to prove to the government and the people of Canada that they are not being offered the freedom they should be.They argue that they are being subjected to “tyranny,” or an extremely oppressive and cruel government who is overusing their powers to the detriment of the people.
While no one is happy with the continuation of COVID-19 mandates, the argument that the government is intentionally taking away the rights of its citizens, as opposed to trying to end the global pandemic and prevent future deaths, seems like the words of people who have been sheltered from real human rights infringements. These protestors have become overly willing to use powerful words, without understanding their true meaning and impact.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, on the other hand, is an actual example of the destruction of freedom and human rights. According to Edward Akuffo, associate professor and director of the Centre for Global Development at UFV, parts of the invasion in Ukraine go against the Geneva Conventions, which outline appropriate measures during war to prevent excessive human rights violations. In its attacks on civilian-populated areas and hospitals, Russia has broken the Geneva Conventions. Other European countries, in their efforts to aid Ukraine, have also been denying refugees human rights, with their clear racism towards people of colour trying to flee the war torn country, Akuffo says.
The war itself stemmed from Ukraine’s efforts to make their own independent choices, such as joining NATO and strengthening their economy and military. Akuffo explains that Russia saw this as an affront, interpreting it as Ukraine trying to ally with the West against Russia, and that this contributed to the invasion.
Akuffo points to the Geneva Conventions and the United Nations 1967 Refugee Protocol when describing the policies that should be applied to the Ukrainian war and the ongoing violations to human rights that come with it.
In comparison, the freedom protests and their use of terms like “tyranny” and “abuse of human rights” paint a picture of Canada as a coddled child who is looking to cause drama without actually knowing anything about the atrocities occurring simultaneously around the world. They cite the removal of choice as the main issue, and many protests have used historical atrocities as comparisons for the rules of the mandates.
The vaccine protest happened during the same time that Ukrainian Canadians marched in solidarity with their families, who were holding signs which had similar slogans about abuse of power, lack of freedom, and ignorance of human rights. If any comparison can be made at all between these two issues, it is a comparison of the privilege of Canadians who are trying to fight against a government that, for the most part, works to protect its citizens, to that of the Ukrainian people who have experienced continued genocidal actions from the Russian government for decades. Instead of trying to use words that we clearly have no concept of, Canadians should take the time to understand the differences between our struggles with the amount of control our government should have and the horrific actions of those governments with no care for those they are supposed to serve.
Allison is starting her BA in English with a minor in Criminology to become a publishing contract lawyer. In her spare time, she watches way too many true crime shows and reads a lot of Y.A. fiction, while slugging along on various articles.
