Lesson 7 — Activity 1: The Basic Freedoms



Warm Up


Everyone in Canada enjoys four fundamental freedoms. You were introduced to these fundamental freedoms in L6 — A2. In this activity, you will learn more about these freedoms.



In Canada, there are four fundamental freedoms:

  • freedom of conscience and religion

  • freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication

    • This means that people can communicate their thoughts and ideas openly; the Charter protects the right of the press and other media to speak out.


  • freedom of peaceful assembly
    • This means that people can gather and act in peaceful groups.

  • freedom of association

    • This means that you are allowed to associate with whomever you choose and belong to any association such as a trade union.

Explore!


Explore the Virtual Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms!

Click here to open the website on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Find the following sections at the beginning of the document:

  • Section 1: Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms

  • Section 2: Fundamental Freedoms


Read through the two sections. You will learn more about the Fundamental Freedoms below.


Freedom of conscience and religion

A person's conscience is his or her sense of right and wrong. Everyone has a conscience, but not everyone's conscience holds the same beliefs. Obviously, some beliefs are held to be universally right or wrong. For example, law-abiding Canadians believe that it is wrong to murder someone; however, when asked about the institution of marriage, these same people have a wide range of beliefs. Many believe in having a traditional ceremony in the religion of their choice. Others may choose a civil ceremony before a justice of the peace or marriage commissioner. These are choices made according to a person's conscience and beliefs, but all are recognized as legally binding relationships under Canadian law.

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@creativecommons

Canadians are free to choose not to participate in an organized religion, or they can follow the religion of their choice regardless of whether it is one of the many branches of Christianity, a faith such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or some other faith. Freedom of religion goes further than church attendance. Employers must respect a person's right to wear clothing that is a part of that employee's religious beliefs. Some individuals may not be available for work on Sunday.

Freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication

Did you realize that in some nations, citizens can be arrested for speaking out against their government? Canadians are free to express their beliefs and opinions openly. Freedom of the press is extremely important in Canada. This concept extends to all aspects of the media, including the Internet. Members of the media are free to express their opinions about anything that happens. Of course, there are limits to cover situations where the expression is considered harmful to others. This is why you sometimes hear controversy about something such as a cartoon that is considered racist.



@creative commons
         
@creative commons
         

Freedom of peaceful assembly

If Canadians are concerned about an issue, they are free to hold an organized peaceful assembly or demonstration to express their opposition. If some demonstrators behave poorly, then the authorities try several ways to restore order. Any demonstrators who are arrested are protected under the legal system you learned about in Theme 1. Only as a very last resort would force be used to restore order.

Many citizens throughout the world do not have the right to hold mass demonstrations. In some nations, a government may have its military personnel use force to break up such demonstrations. Demonstrators may be shot or arrested and locked up without being charged with anything without a trial.

     

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Freedom of association

Canadians also have the right to freedom of association. This means that you may gather with friends to celebrate an event or to demonstrate a point-of-view as long as it is lawful and peaceful. If, however, you break a law, your group could be broken up or arrested.

As you read about in L6 — A2, during the Vancouver Canuck's win during the Stanley Cup playoffs, people gathered to celebrate with other hockey fans (protected under freedom of association). However, the assembly turned into a riot and the freedoms of others were compromised. The police had to arrest some rioters who were then charged with breaking the law.

Self-check!

Try This!

Try the true/false questions below on your own first, and then click on the tab to check your answers! You can look back in the lesson to find the answers.

  1. Freedom of peaceful assembly means that you are allowed to associate with whomever you choose.
  2. Freedom of association means that people can gather and act in peaceful groups.
  3. The Charter protects the rights of the press and other media to speak out.


1. False (Freedom of assembly means that people can gather and act in peaceful groups.)

2. False (Freedom of association means that you are allowed to associate with whomever you choose.0

3. True




Digging Deeper!

Click on the Play button below to watch a video on the 1989 Tianamen Square protest in Beijing, China, to see what others have done to earn the rights that Canadians take for granted.