Charter of Rights and Freedom
The Charter of Rights and Freedom and its Affect on Canada
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights granted constitutional status that was introduced in the Constitution Act of 1982 by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. The Constitution Act is also known as the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution. The Charter had several purposes; the first is “to outline and guarantee the political rights of Canadian citizens, as well as the civil rights of anyone who is residing on the territory of Canada” (The Canadian Charter. 1). Secondly, “It balances the rights of legislatures and courts through the ‘notwithstanding’ clause, which gives the federal and provincial parliaments limited powers to override court decisions “, while section 2 of the bill enshrines the freedom of the press, allowing the media to release controversial reports without fear of the state (Ibbitson. 2012). Thirdly, it criminalized discrimination in society, government rulings and the judicial system and provides a set of ethical principles for all Canadians to follow, while promoting equality throughout the country.
Social discrimination was widespread in Canada at the turn of the 20th Century. Many groups were discriminated against such as minorities and women. This was evident through the introduction of Clifford Sifton’s head tax, the “enemy aliens” and unbalanced gender equality between men and women.
The first step in any change is to identify the problem. During the Holocaust of WWII the discrimination of Jewish people led to a mass genocide of 6 million people. After this affair it was realized that boundaries must be put in place to insure that basic human rights are respected. It was this idea that gave birth to the UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In Canada the declaration paved paths for more government action regarding social and political discrimination, an example being the predecessor of the Charter, the Canadian Bill of Rights of 1960. This bill
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights granted constitutional status that was introduced in the Constitution Act of 1982 by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. The Constitution Act is also known as the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution. The Charter had several purposes; the first is “to outline and guarantee the political rights of Canadian citizens, as well as the civil rights of anyone who is residing on the territory of Canada” (The Canadian Charter. 1). Secondly, “It balances the rights of legislatures and courts through the ‘notwithstanding’ clause, which gives the federal and provincial parliaments limited powers to override court decisions “, while section 2 of the bill enshrines the freedom of the press, allowing the media to release controversial reports without fear of the state (Ibbitson. 2012). Thirdly, it criminalized discrimination in society, government rulings and the judicial system and provides a set of ethical principles for all Canadians to follow, while promoting equality throughout the country.
Social discrimination was widespread in Canada at the turn of the 20th Century. Many groups were discriminated against such as minorities and women. This was evident through the introduction of Clifford Sifton’s head tax, the “enemy aliens” and unbalanced gender equality between men and women.
The first step in any change is to identify the problem. During the Holocaust of WWII the discrimination of Jewish people led to a mass genocide of 6 million people. After this affair it was realized that boundaries must be put in place to insure that basic human rights are respected. It was this idea that gave birth to the UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In Canada the declaration paved paths for more government action regarding social and political discrimination, an example being the predecessor of the Charter, the Canadian Bill of Rights of 1960. This bill