91快色

Dec. 13, 2021

Exploring surprises within Canada鈥檚 Charter

New book will explore surprising elements of 40 years of the Constitution Act.
Canada's Charter of Rights & Freedoms

Almost 40 years ago,  came into being. This fundamental change in Canada鈥檚 legal landscape includes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Among other things, the Charter protects fundamental freedoms and the right to vote; it prohibits discrimination based on colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, and physical or mental disability; and it affirms minority official language rights. The Constitution Act, 1982 also protects the rights of Indigenous peoples, including rights to title and treaty rights.   

鈥淎nniversaries are always a good opportunity to reflect on what has happened and what鈥檚 currently happening in terms of the Charter and the law,鈥 explains constitutional law expert Professor Howard Kislowicz.  

Professor Howard Kislowicz

Professor Howard Kislowicz

To commemorate the anniversary, Kislowicz has teamed up with constitutional law experts from across Canada and the UK to produce a new book that explores the surprising aspects of the Constitution Act from the past 40 years. Working with the theme 鈥淭he Surprising Constitution,鈥 academics were asked to submit and present papers in a recent virtual workshop.  

鈥淭he contributors are exploring various aspects of the Charter and the Constitution Act, including language rights, Section 35 of the Constitution Act (the protection of Aboriginal rights), religious freedoms, freedom of peaceful assembly, multiculturalism, equality rights, and the notwithstanding clause, to name just a few,鈥 says Kislowicz. 鈥淲hen you ask people what's surprising about the Charter, it invites a kind of critical reflection on what you would you expect from it and what we get.鈥  

鈥淚t has been fun to see it come together and to get the different perspectives from a variety of experts in the area.鈥  

Written with a general academic audience mind, the team hopes to have the book published in 2022.