From 1968–1979 and 1980–1984, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the Canadian Prime minister. He represented the Liberals. Throughout his time he has done many things for Canada. During Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s time as the Prime minister, he managed to improve relationships between Canada and France and as well as diplomatic relations with China. He also stopped the French separatist movement, which was when the French people of Quebec wanted to part from Canada and become independent. In 1982, Trudeau also formed the Constitution that includes the bills of rights and the amending formula. The significance of this quote was referring to the separatist movement of the French. The relations of the French and the English people in Canada created conflict.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.
Pierre Trudeau is the greatest Canadian of the twentieth century due to the fact that he declared Canada’s independence from Great Britain, he abolished the death penalty, and he created the Official Languages Act, making our nation entirely bilingual.
While having a legislative Union is preferable to him, it is not practical (Ajzenstat, 1999, 281). Like the American Founders, he acknowledged that not everyone has the same interests and values and it is not possible to eliminate these differences between citizens. The Canadian federal system instead has a legislative union while maintaining sectional freedom that comes with a federal union, with decreased threat of Factionalism because of the ensured protection of local interests. Both the Founding Fathers and Canadian Founders agree that it is best to protect as many local interests as possible because this provides lesser chance of a majority infringing upon a minority. Giving minorities avenues to express their interests and ensure their voices are being heard decreases the likelihood of Factionalism causing the breakdown of a
Democracy is more than merely a system of government. It is a culture – one that promises equal rights and opportunity to all members of society. Democracy can also be viewed as balancing the self-interests of one with the common good of the entire nation. In order to ensure our democratic rights are maintained and this lofty balance remains in tact, measures have been taken to protect the system we pride ourselves upon. There are two sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that were implemented to do just this. Firstly, Section 1, also known as the “reasonable limits clause,” ensures that a citizen cannot legally infringe on another’s democratic rights as given by the Charter. Additionally, Section 33, commonly referred to as the “notwithstanding clause,” gives the government the power to protect our democracy in case a law were to pass that does not violate our Charter rights, but would be undesirable. Professor Kent Roach has written extensively about these sections in his defence of judicial review, and concluded that these sections are conducive to dialogue between the judiciary and the legislature. Furthermore, he established that they encourage democracy. I believe that Professor Roach is correct on both accounts, and in this essay I will outline how sections 1 and 33 do in fact make the Canadian Charter more democratic. After giving a brief summary of judicial review according to Roach, I will delve into the reasonable limits clause and how it is necessary that we place limitations on Charter rights. Following this, I will explain the view Professor Roach and I share on the notwithstanding clause and how it is a vital component of the Charter. To conclude this essay, I will discuss the price at which democr...
The Prime Minister of Canada is given much power and much responsibility. This could potentially create a dangerous situation if the government held a majority and was able to pass any legislation, luckily this is not the case. This paper will argue that there are many limitations, which the power of the prime minister is subject too. Three of the main limitations, which the Prime Minister is affected by, are; first, federalism, second the governor general and third, the charter of rights and freedoms. I will support this argument by analyzing two different types of federalism and how they impact the power of the Prime Minister. Next I will look at three of the Governor Generals Powers and further analyze one of them. Last I will look at the impact of the charter from the larger participation the public can have in government, and how it increased the power of the courts.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was enacted under the Pierre Trudeau government on April 17, 1982. According to Phillip Bryden, “With the entrenchment of the Charter into the Canadian Constitution, Canadians were not only given an explicit definition of their rights, but the courts were empowered to rule on the constitutionality of government legislation” (101). Prior to 1982, Canada’s central constitutional document was the British North America Act of 1867. According to Kallen, “The BNA Act (the Constitution Act, 1867) makes no explicit reference to human rights” (240). The adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms significantly transformed the operation of Canada’s political system. Presently, Canadians define their needs and complaints in human rights terms. Bryden states, “More and more, interest groups and minorities are turning to the courts, rather than the usual political processes, to make their grievances heard” (101). Since it’s inception in 1982 the Charter has become a very debatable issue. A strong support for the Charter remains, but there also has been much criticism toward the Charter. Academic critics of the Charter such as Robert Martin believe that the Charter is doing more harm than good, and is essentially antidemocratic and UN-Canadian. I believe that Parliament’s involvement in implementing the Charter is antidemocratic, although, the Charter itself represents a democratic document. Parliament’s involvement in implementing the Charter is antidemocratic because the power of the executive is enhanced at the expense of Parliament, and the power of the judiciary is enhanced at the expense of elected officials, although, the notwithstanding clause continues to provide Parliament with a check on...
an aura of celebrity and, in spite of heavy security, he high-fived, shook hands, paused for selfies and briefly addressed the media”. He is also a supporter of the legalization of pot. Like his father, he is very sympathetic to the plight of the First Nations and the need for more affordable housing.
When thinking of a prime minister, communicating with the dead is not the first thing that pops into mind in relation. However in the case of William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada’s longest serving prime minister, it might be. After the release of King’s diaries, it was revealed that King had spent a large chunk of his life invested in spiritualism, the belief that spirits of the dead may communicate with the living. It is often debated if Mackenzie King was crazy during his time as prime minister. William Lyon Mackenzie King may have been an absurd spiritualist, but he was sane, leading and uniting the nation through his 22 years in office.
the two countries. But he saw the British Empire as a worldwide alliance of free
Throughout history, the actions of governments have always been debated; however, occasionally there are certain events which spark much controversy, both at the time of the event and by historians today. One of these controversial acts was the invocation of the War Measures Act in 1970, an act which suspended the civil liberties of Canadian citizens. In October 1970, in what became known as the October Crisis, the Front de libération du Québec, (commonly known as the FLQ) which was a French Canadian organization advocating independence from Canada, kidnapped two politicians. This initiated a series of events, one of which was the invocation of the War Measures Act by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Many historians argue that Trudeau was justified in invoking the War Measures Act because the October Crisis ended shortly after the Act was invoked. However, this argument is invalid as justification; primarily because the War Measures Act was an extreme overreaction by Trudeau, as the threat of the FLQ was largely small-scale, and the demise of the FLQ was impending with the rise of the Bloc Quebecois. Furthermore, the Act may have inspired Quebecers who favoured separatism, as they saw the government desperately employ the most extreme measure to stop the FLQ. Finally, the War Measures Act suspended the civil rights of citizens within a democracy, violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Canada experienced the revolution of changing politics and new ideologies, it was a necessary wave
A century ago, Canada was under control by the British Empire. The battles we fought the treaties we signed and the disputes we solved all helped us gain independence from our mother country “Britain”. Canadians fought a long battle protecting others, and from these battles we gained our peaceful reputation and our independence from Britain. Canada became a nation on July, 1st 1867. Although we were an independent country, our affairs and treaties were all still signed by Britain. In the next years Canada would establish its own government, and lead its own affairs. Many important events led to Canada’s independence, one of the earliest signals that Canada wanted to establish autonomy was the Chanak affair of 1921. In addition the battle of Normandy, which occurred on June 6 1944, contributed to the autonomy of Canada. The Suez Canal Crisis, which took place in the year 1956, earned Canada a place in the media spotlight, displaying Canada as a peaceful country that deserves the right to be independent. One of the final steps that aided with Canada’s independence from Britain was the Canada Act of 1982. Independence from Britain steadily increased throughout the 20th century because of political decisions made in Canada.
The prime minister is undoubtedly the central figure in Canadian government and politics. At the top of the hierarchy within the system of parliamentary government, he or she is often called the ‘first among equals’, having the understood role of a leader who works side by side with the rest of government in accomplishing the matters of Parliament. However in truth, there are no true equals to the prime minister, and government does not always work as the ideal team as it is made out to be. In terms of power, the prime minister is always at the top, at the so-called ‘apex of power’ . Several factors have given rise to this prime ministerial power, these mainly being the prime minister’s status within Parliament and the conventions of responsible
Jean Chretien said that “Canadian federalism is more than a form of government. It's also a system of values that allows different people in diverse communities to live and work together in harmony for the good of all”. Between 1985 and 2002 Canada’s acceptance of refugees and protection of those abroad would continue its reputation of inclusivity and extend it to different cultures and regions. New economic openness would lead to profit and division as development would again echo the National Policy, thriving in Ontario while declining in the Maritimes. Rapid political change would rock Canada’s political traditions, as Prime Ministers terms were measured in days and Canada’s unity in minutes. Economic globalization, cultural prosperity and rapid political change would define Canada’s move toward the new millennium.
The first reason I believe he is a good Prime minister because he offers new perspectives to how we see our country. The second reason is that he often demonstrates how he is a caring person. My last reason is that he believes in equality. You know this because he has a gender equal cabinet. For these reasons I believe Justin Trudeau has been a great Prime Minister in the past three