Lesson 7 — Activity 3: Mobility Rights

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that Canadian citizens can live, travel, or move anywhere within Canada. These are known as mobility rights.

This may seem obvious to you, but in many countries, people have severe restrictions placed on their mobility. These can include banning residents from visiting others in the next suburb or town. In some cases, people have to get special permission and a government document to travel from their own neighbourhood.

Under the guarantee of mobility rights, all Canadians are free to move within Canada and are automatically under the laws of and entitled to the services that exist within their new province of residence. Canadians can pick where they want to live. In some countries, the government has strict control of where its citizens can or cannot live. Often these restrictions are enforced through threats and violent actions.

The mobility rights section of the Charter states that all Canadian citizens have the right to come into and go from Canada as they please. Obviously, you must have a Canadian passport to do this, and you are required to pass through Immigration and Customs before returning to Canada. In many countries, their citizens are not allowed to have passports or leave the country. In times of uncertainty or violence in a nation, sometimes thousands (or even millions in extreme cases) flee their countries at great risk to themselves. Often, these people go to neighbouring nations that cannot cope with these numbers, thus producing a refugee crisis.

We take mobility rights for granted, but in many countries, people have been forced to leave their homes or to live in specific areas. Some have even been banned from seeing other people. This shows how important the guarantee of mobility rights should be viewed by Canadians.

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