Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Chapter 5 Terminology
Apprentice
Aboriginal
Charter
Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Collective Identities
Delegate
Democratic Rights
Enforcement Rights
Equity
Equality Rights
Ethnic
Freedoms
Fundamental Freedoms
General Rights
Justice
Language Minorities
Legal Rights
Mobility Rights
Official Languages of Canada Rights
Persecuted
Refugee
Representation
Treaty
Treaty of La Grande Paix de Montréal
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Individual Rights
-Fundamental freedoms (expression of opinion, to belong to any group, to organize peaceful meetings and demonstrations, to practice your religion)
-Democratic rights (to vote for candidates in elections, to participate in elections, to run for election, to have elections every five years)
-Mobility rights (to enter, stay in, or leave Canada as you wish, if you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, to move to and ear a living in any province)
-Equality rights (to live free of discrimination or prejudice)
-Legal rights (feel free and safe, a fair and quick public trial, to be assumed innocent until proven guilty)
-Official languages of Canada rights (to communicate with and receive services from the federal government in French and English)
-Enforcement rights (to go to court if any of these rights are denied)
Collective Rights
-Minority language education rights (to have publicly funded schools for Francophone in provinces where most people speak English, and for Anglophones in provinces where most people speak French)
-General rights (to uphold existing Aboriginal and treaty rights, to uphold the multicultural heritage of Canadians)
Charter of Rights and Freedoms is rooted in the past
1215 Magna Carta - An English charter concerning ideas of protection the rights of the people, especially regarding unlawful imprisonment, are still in place in Canada.
1701 La Grande Paix de Montréal established peace and respect among people in what is now eastern Canada.
1871-1921 The Numbered Treaties recognized the rights of First Nations.
Royal Proclamation of 1763 was made after the Seven Years’ War and during the time that it was establishing control over territory in North America formerly claimed by France. The proclamation recognized the right of First Nations to their lands.
1834 Slavery Abolition Act abolished slavery throughout the British Empire which applied to Canada and all foreign colonies.
1916 Suffrage Bills were passed in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan allowing women to vote in provincial elections but not in federal elections.
1929 Persons Act entitled women to become members of the Senate.
1947 Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act ended the exclusion of Chinese people because of a head tax which was designed to prevent them from entering Canada.
1960 Canada Elections Act gave Aboriginal adults the right to vote.
Chapter Review Questions
1. What are examples of rights and freedoms that we have in Canada that are not found in other countries?
2. What are possible reasons that Canada has different rights and freedoms compared to other countries?
3. Why is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms important to Canadians?
4. How does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protect collective rights?
5. How does the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protect individual and collective identities?
6. Why is the Treaty of La Grande Paix de Montreal important both historically and in present times?
7. Why are the historical roots of the Charter important?
8. Why is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms entrenched in the Canadian Constitution? (e.g., provide protection from politically motivated tampering, to make it more difficult to be changed).
9. Why is allowing for some change necessary for the Charter? (e.g., people's ideas of democracy change over time and therefore our own ideas of democracy may change in the future).