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Essay about the canadian charter of rights and freedoms
Essay about the canadian charter of rights and freedoms
Essay about the canadian charter of rights and freedoms
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The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the strong foundation for the diverse country of Canada. They uphold various beliefs and values Canadians may have. Under the constitution in 1982, the CRF (Charter of Rights and Freedoms) was entrenched by then Prime Minister Trudeau. The CRF has 4 rights; Equality, legal, democratic and mobility, there is also 4 freedoms; of Conscience and Religion, of thought, belief, expression and media, of peaceful assembly, and Association. If people feel that their right and/or freedom has been violated, they can go to court by using a “Charter Challenge. ” A charter challenge is when something inequitable or unfair has been done, the citizen can pursue the court case stating that something violated their rights and/or freedoms. All the rights and freedoms help …show more content…
Equality rights protect the identity of Canadian citizens by ensuring equal treatment from the government. Without the CRF, acts such as War Measure Acts would be put into action. The War Measures Act was acts done by the government at critical times such as war to ensure the security of the country by putting ‘enemy aliens’ into labour camps without pay. Canada used to us this act in WW2, but after the CRF they compensated the victims.
Lastly, the CRF allows people to express their values and beliefs through media and have the freedom of thinking. In other parts of the world, people live in fear to speak out the thoughts because of the punishments they might receive. In Canada, however, people are allowed to protest peacefully with measures to protect the security of the country. This allows for a more open society and moves Canada forward.
In conclusion, Canada is held strong with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As citizens know their rights and freedoms they can help change the shape of Canada by Charter Challenges. Changes move
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is an important document that allows us to live our lives without arbitrary governmental control, although there may be certain times when rights should be limited. The R. v Oakes case is a perfect example of this situation coming into play. David Edwin Oakes was caught with an unlawful possession of hash oil and was automatically convicted of trafficking, under section 8 of the Narcotic Control Act. By looking at the Charter, it was clear that section 8 of the NCA violated his right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, guaranteed in section 11.d. With that in mind, the respondent brought in a motion that challenged section 8 of the Narcotic Control Act. Since the Supreme Court and the Crown were confident that the suspect was trafficking narcotics, they created a four criteria ruling, in order to reasonably limit the rights of the respondent. This is permissible under section 1 of the Charter, which states that “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms…only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law.”2 The respondent’s case passed the first criterion which stated that “the reasoning for limiting the Charter must be proven important enough to override a constitutionally protected right.” The case did not pass the second criterion which stated that “there must be an appropriate connection between the limitation of rights and the objective of the legislation.”2 Therefore, the appeal was dismissed and the respondent was released. After reviewing the case it was clear that even though the suspect did not have his rights limited against him, limiting rights should be used more often in severe cases.
The inclusion of the Notwithstanding Clause in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was an invaluable contribution in the evolution of the liberal democratic state. Not an endpoint, to be sure, but a significant progression in the rights protection dynamic. Subsequent to its passage in 1982 it became the primary rights protecting mechanism, however, its raison d`etre was as a neccessary concession, the pivotal factor allowing the patriation of the constitution. Many legislators present at the constitutional conference in 1981 opposed in varying degrees the entrenchment of a "bill of rights" in the constitution. The premier of Saskatchewan, Allan Blakeney, A preeminent liberal legislator at the time, recognized this potential document as an invitation to judicial review. He feared a conservative judiciary might hinder enlightened policies and sought authority beyond the ambit of an entrenched rights protection act. At the other end of the political spectrum opposition was in the form of an allegiance to parliamentary supremacy as expressed most notably by Sterling Lyon, the conservative premier of Manitoba. Imbedding section 33, commonly referred to as the Notwithstanding Clause, into the constitutional document alleviated these concerns to a degree that permitted their compliance. It is well established that the impetus for the Notwithstanding Clause was of a political nature. To insert this so inspired clause into an intended sanctuary from capricious legislative acts appears tantamount to allowing the fox to guard the chicken coop. Conceivably the same legislative majority that would create the laws abridging rights could exem...
After the Revolution, the country was left in an economic crisis and struggling for a cohesive path moving forward. The remaining financial obligations left some Founding Fathers searching for ways to create a stronger more centralized government to address concerns on a national level. The thought was that with a more centralized, concentrated governing body, the more efficient tensions and fiscal responsibilities could be addressed. With a central government manning these responsibilities, instead of the individual colonies, they would obtain consistent governing policies. However, as with many things in life, it was a difficult path with a lot of conflicting ideas and opponents. Much of the population was divided choosing either the
Moreover, although no powers or rights have been explicitly ‘reserved’ to the people, supporters of the charter nevertheless appear to give Canadians hope that the possibility may exist. COMPARISON OF BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE CANADIAN CHARTER... ... middle of paper ... ...
The Constitution Act, 1876 and the Constitution Act, 1982 are the two official documents that comprise the Constitution of Canada and are the supreme source of law in the nation. According to Craik & Forcese these documents together rep...
Three decades ago, honorable Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was establishing the renowned Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Since the three decades of being established, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has protected the individual rights and freedoms of thousands of Canadians. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms has become a part of the national identity and has become a big patriotic symbol for the country. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the document the truly separates Canada from all the other powerful nations and is really something that Canadian take a pride in. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms brings up many questions, but the biggest and most common question is How effectively does Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms protect your individual rights? . To exactly know how effectively it protects your rights you can look at situations where it has protected and has not protected the rights of Canadians. The Charter of Rights and Freedom protects legal rights of Canadian whether they are a teenager or an adult, protects equality rights of Canadian and provides government services to all Canadians no matter what, ensures all laws are passed according to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and provides equality rights and fundamental freedoms to Canadians for practicing their religion and other rights without interference.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was signed into law by Queen Elizabeth II April 17, 1982. Often referred to as the Charter, it affirms the rights and freedoms of Canadians in the Constitution of Canada. The Charter encompasses fundamental freedoms, democratic rights, mobility rights, legal rights, language rights and equality rights. The primary function of the Charter is to act as a regulatory check between Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments and the Canadian people. Being a successor of the Canadian Bill of Rights that was a federal statute, amendable by Parliament, the Charter is a more detailed and explicit constitutional document that has empowered the judiciary to render regulations and statutes at both the federal and provincial levels of government unconstitutional. Although the rights and freedoms of Canadians are guaranteed, Sections one and seven of the Charter permit the federal and provincial governments to limit the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Canadians. Section one of the Charter designated ‘Rights and freedoms in Canada’ states “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” This section is frequently referred to and better known as the reasonable limits clause. The second rights and freedoms limiting section of the Charter, known as the ‘notwithstanding clause’ is Section thirty-three entitled ‘Exception where express declaration’ declares
Systemic discrimination has been a part of Canada’s past. Women, racial and ethnic minorities as well as First Nations people have all faced discrimination in Canada. Policies such as, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, provincial and federal Human Rights Codes, as well has various employment equity programs have been placed in Canada’s constitution to fight and address discrimination issues. Despite these key documents placed for universal rights and freedoms Aboriginal and other minority populations in Canada continue to be discriminated against. Many believe there is no discrimination in Canada, and suggest any lack of success of these groups is a result of personal decisions and not systemic discrimination. While others feel that the legislation and equality policies have yet resulted in an equal society for all minorities. Racism is immersed in Canadian society; this is clearly shown by stories of racial profiling in law enforcement.
The Bill of Rights is a weapon that seems to be used against us more often than not, while it’s easy to look at the landmark social justice cases ruled by the Supreme Court that have helped push America forward, but there have been far more conservative abuses of legal power than leaps forward. This occurs because the Bill of Rights is interpreted by each state, instead of it being nationalized we have open interpretation allowing the inequality in the judicial system to continue unchecked in certain cases for decades. The evolution of the First Amendment changes over time with way of the world as it should, however, there have been multiple rulings by various Supreme Court judges that define “persons” or “person” as a “corporation”. Slowly over time, our Bill of Rights have extended the same and/or better rights to corporations that have been interpreted as people.
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s 7, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11. Web.
Canada has had a long and storied history especially in the 20th century. A key part of this history is Canada’s road to autonomy. The first step on this road is Canada’s role in fighting and ending World War I. The second step is Canadian involvement in the United Nations’ early days to the mid 1950’s. The last step on the road to autonomy is the Constitution Act, 1982. These three moments in time form the backbone of Canada’s road to autonomy.
...nts in mind that show that Canada was not always the Human Rights Role Model that it has become during the twenty-first century. These events could be anything such as the disgraceful, and unprovoked, treatment of the Canadian-Japanese during the Second World War or the attempts to assimilate the Native Americans of Canada into Caucasian culture with the White Paper document. Even during the beginning of the twentieth century prejudices were held against immigrants, many were discriminated against and hated. With these horrendous events in mind it is amazing that a country, with such a troubled past, can possibly make up and become the Role Model for Human Rights that Canada is perceived as. These historically significant events have affected the way that Canada has developed and as such has helped to mould the country of Canada into what society knows it as.
Did you know that Canada has a constitution that protects all Canadian citizens equally under the law? Many Canadians believe that the most important part of Canada's constitution is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that was officially adopted by the Canadian federal government in 1982. Within the Charter, there are specific sections that describe Canadian citizens Fundamental freedoms, Mobility rights and Legal rights.
Canadian Charter of Right and Freedom and other human rights legislation is an effective tool for the people to ensure and maintain a just society. Canadian Charter of Right and Freedom as the fundation and most important part of Canadain law, is the fundmental of Canada society. Therefore, it is very important for it to be an effective tool to ensure and maintain a just and healthy society. First, the Charter helps the innocence and make sure they are protected. Second, the Charter cannot be infringed upon in any circumstances. Thirdly, the interpretation of the Charter will change, along with the society.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document that outlines the basic rights for all humans on Earth. However, a few fundamental rights are still being denied in certain countries even though the document has been released since 1948. For instance, Article five claims that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Yet, the American military has flirted on the line of committing “inhuman or degrading treatment” of prisoners on Guantanamo Bay detention center. The US Supreme Court claimed that the prisoners had certain rights but refused to directly state the limit of torture of the prisoners up until four of them committed suicide. Another surprising right is Article 16: “Men