Right Rights, Right?

Yesterday was a great day! My friend became a Canadian Citizen. He was smiling from ear to ear. I was proud to be there at this most important ceremony in his life. I jokingly told him that the honeymoon is over and the abuse starts now. During the ceremony the citizenship judge went over many important aspect of being a Canadian. The importance of volunteering, respecting diversity, learning the languages and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Oh ya, there's them rights we're supposed to have. I'd beg to differ from experience.

In the past year alone, my rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms have had multiple violations. In addition, my rights under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), Residential Tenancy Act, Human Rights Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have been violated on a number of occasions. I'm sure I'm missing additional breaches that have occured at the hands of my landlord. You know what they say, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, First Baron Acton (1834–1902). Power goes to the heads of those that have it. For the power hungry, checks and balances are the obstacles. When the loss of your home is dangled infront of you as the result of protecting and standing up for your rights, the powers have far too much power. It is a disgrace to say I'm a Canadian with a landlord that is corrupt. Have we lost our way with who we are as Canadians? The very rights we proudly embellish to new Canadians are the rights that many Canadians do not have at the hands of Canadians with power. How quick we so easily forget what we have had.

To life, liberty, and security of the person.