The Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms


Targets


This lesson is about the repatriation of Canada’s Constitution and the writing of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Constitution is the set of rules about how Canada is governed.  Canada’s Constitution was enacted in Britain as the British North America Act (BNA Act) in 1867.  That made Canada into a country; it had been a collection of colonies of Britain.

You will learn about...

  • why Canada wanted to change its Constitution
  • the province that did not sign the new Constitution
  • what Aboriginal people did to ensure their voices were heard
  • the important document that was added to the Constitution
  • what the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees for all Canadians

Introduction


Viewpoints activities appear in every chapter of this text.

The purpose of Viewpoints is to provide you a way to hear and think about multiple perspectives and to identify your own point of view.




April 17, 1982 The Queen signs the Constitution; From left to right: Mr. Gerald Regan, Minister of Labour; Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Prime Minister (seated); Her Majesty the Queen (seated); Mr. Michael Pitfield, Clerk of the Privy Council; Mr. Michael Kirby, Secretary to the Cabinet for Federal-Provincial Relations and Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council.

These people are signing another extremely important Canadian document.
The words on these papers allow you the freedoms you enjoy in this country. 

Who are these people?  Why do they get to sign it?  You will find out in this lesson!



Important note: Repatriation means to return to the country of origin.  Repatriating the Constitution means returning the Constitution to Canada rather than keeping it in Britain.