Section 1 Summary

Section 1 Summary

In Section 1, you answered the following inquiry question: How are the collective rights of all Canadians protected?

Similar to many other nations, Canada has established individual rights for all citizens. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms ensures that these rights are protected by law. Your individual identity is influenced greatly by these rights.

Unlike other nations, however, Canada has also established rights for several groups. These rights are known as collective rights because they apply to entire groups. Your identity, as an individual and as part of a group, is influenced by the collective rights that have been affirmed in the constitution of Canada.

The historical ties among Aboriginal, Anglophone, and Francophone communities are the foundations of these collective rights as they are recognized today. Each of these communities has developed strong collective identities in Canada through the establishment of treaties and settlements and through the recognition of official languages. These factors have all contributed to the need for collective rights in Canada. These collective and cultural rights continue to be negotiated through modern treaties and land claims as Canada continues to evolve to affirm the influences that these historic relationships have had on the history of our country.

You will use this knowledge of collective rights as you continue onto Section 2, where you will examine the impacts that immigration, past and present, has on Canada today.

images ©Thinkstock