Oh Canada, how far removed you have become from the rest of the world in your little floating bubble. I can’t even say that the U.S. is worse for this, since their economy problems have created non-first-world-like conditions in some parts of the country (like Detroit- here), and they’re fighting to keep afloat right now. Canada, on the other hand, pretty much sailed through the recession (with a few bumps, for sure, but recovery has been very fast), and now has a very pressing issue on its plate: whether or not to declare access to high-speed internet a basic human right (here– courtesy of Metro News).

Do we seriously not have anything else to worry about right now?! How on earth did our heads get so far up our buried in the sand that we can ignore ALL of our other problems (and the world’s, for that matter), and even CONSIDER making something like high-speed internet a basic right?!

There are people in this country who are starving. There are people in this country who are homeless. There are people in this country who are unemployed AND homeless AND starving. There are people who have jobs, but no home, and people who have a home, but no job (and will probably lose the home shortly, too). The healthcare system is broken. The welfare system is broken. The foster care system is broken. Whether or not the government is broken is a matter of opinion, but if they decide to fund initiatives to support this ludicrous idea, I will start believing that they are.

Now that I’m done ranting (for now), let’s look at this objectively. What is a basic human right? Wikipedia defines human rights as “rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled”. The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights says “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” (source).  But neither of these describes what could be defined as a “basic” right.

In my opinion? A basic right is a human right without which humans cannot live a dignified, healthy, peaceful, and free life. I realize this is a bit of a vague definition. But for now, think about high-speed internet access. Is it essential for a dignified life? Not really. Is it essential for a healthy life? Actually, spending too much time in front of the computer is bad for you. But, it does give you access to lots of information about living healthily, so I guess that one is a tie. Is it essential for living a peaceful life? Nope (if anything, it’s very useful as a divisive wedge between groups). Is it essential for living a free life? Nope. So can we live without it? Absolutely. For sure, the internet is a very useful tool, but it is just that: a tool.

Think on this example: What if… you met a Canadian crop farmer? What if his land was failing due to whatever reason, and he did not have enough food to feed his family or himself? What if all the water that they had to drink was polluted and full of bacteria due to flooding or sewage dumping? What if they were all very sick from the water and lack of food, and they were in over their heads in debt? What if their deaths were imminent? What would you give them first– food, clean water, and medicine, or high-speed internet access, saying that “broadband… is something that is required in order to fully participate (in society)”[source]?

In effect, that is what we are doing. We are ignoring the more urgent problems which are plaguing Canada (lack of efficient healthcare, homelessness, unemployment, violent crime, a lax legal system, poor welfare system, etc., etc.), in favour of giving people access to a tool which will not solve the problem. Basic rights are things like access to food, clean water, medicine/healthcare, permanent shelter, a means of living independantly (money, or otherwise), and a means to a peaceful life (no wars, discriminatory violence, abuse, etc.). Internet (high-speed, or not), is at its very best, a privilege. How can we simultaneously as a country consider investing money into ensuring every Canadian has internet access while refusing to pledge more money to aid Pakistan’s citizens with the regaining of their basic rights in the aftermath of their flooding (source)? But never mind about the rest of the world– how can we sink money into unnecessary tools when our own healthcare system is rapidly approaching breaking point?

I fail to see how anyone but the most ignorant or apathetic Canadian can support a ludicrous idea like this. Yes, Finland has already implemented high-speed internet as a basic right, but then, they were also recently ranked the world’s best country by Newsweek (here) across a comparison of health, economy, education, and politics. They’ve got the right idea– make all the important stuff work first, THEN focus on enhancing tools. For Canada (which was ranked 5th), fix the other problems in our country first– make sure ALL of our citizens and residents have ALL of their basic rights, fix the failing systems, stop cutting money from emergency services, healthcare, education, and infrastructure– and THEN consider making high-speed internet access available to all.

You’ll notice I didn’t say “THEN consider making high-speed internet access a basic right”. It will never be a basic right as long as people are still dying from a lack of clean water/food/medicine/equality/peace anywhere in the world. We have a responsibility to help. Let Canada lead the world by example in more than just our economic status; let us be leaders in the global fight for basic rights everywhere. So what if not all of our 35 million citizens have access to high-speed internet? When almost a billion people in the world don’t have clean drinking water, I’d say that puts our “problems” in perspective somewhat. Get off your high horse, Canadians, and stop being so selfish. We have bigger fish to fry.

P.S.: Wouldn’t it be so much cooler in the future if, instead of saying “Canada is only one of three countries in the world to have high-speed internet access as a basic human right” (which is really nothing to brag about, especially to third-world countries), we could say something like “Canada is only one of three countries in the world to have a working, efficient healthcare system”? Or maybe, “Canada is one of the top three countries in the world who have given the most international aid to date”? Something to think about.

Featured image is from Charity:Water, and belongs to them.