Discuss

• The Honourable Mr. Justice Michel Bastarache
• George Elliott Clarke
• Severn Cullis-Suzuki

• The Honourable E. Peter Lougheed
• Julius Grey
• Irshad Manji

 

Introduction

Building a Just Society:
A Retrospective of Canadian Rights and Freedoms

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) provides the ideal place for you to engage with the legacy and the promise of "Peace, Order, and good Government", the principles expressed in Canada's founding constitutional document, the British North America Act of 1867.

Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau consulting with Minister of Justice Jean Chrétien during Constitutional Conference, Ottawa, 1981
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As the repository of the government of Canada's documentary heritage, LAC preserves many milestones of Canadian history, governance and political culture. Foremost among these is the Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982. Signed on Parliament Hill on April 17, 1982, this Act of "patriation" made Canada the sole custodian of its constitutional development. The Act also established a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, guaranteeing the fundamental freedoms, democratic rights, mobility rights, legal rights, equality rights and language rights of all Canadians.

Building a Just Society is an eclectic Web exhibition created to mark the 25th anniversary of these constitutional milestones. LAC invites all Canadians to explore the documentary heritage collections that record the story of governance and political culture in Canada, and the achievement of rights and freedoms that have marked our national evolution as a just society.

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1. Premiers Peter Lougheed of Alberta and René Lévesque of Quebec during a Constitutional Conference in Ottawa, 1981
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2. Image of the Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982, a document recognizing certain fundamental rights and freedoms as part of Canada's patriated Constitution, April 17, 1982
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3. Postage stamp depicting Canada's Coat of Arms, in commemoration of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1987
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4. Officials during the signing of the Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982, on Parliament Hill, Ottawa (from left to right: Gerald Regan, Minister of Labour; Jean Chrétien, Minister of Justice; Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; André Ouellet, Registrar General; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; Michael Pitfield, Clerk of the Privy Council), April 17, 1982
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The Charter of Rights and Freedoms has sustained lively debate and has stimulated diverse responses across Canada during the last 25 years. Accordingly, LAC has invited a number of individual Canadians to contribute their personal thoughts and thought-provoking commentary on this vital section of our Constitution. Although these commentaries do not necessarily reflect the opinions and policies of LAC or the Government of Canada, we thank the authors for contributing to open debate and the exchange of ideas that reflect the spirit of the Charter itself.

Cover of a book entitled Les années Trudeau : La recherche d'une société juste, 1990

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LAC gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the Department of Canadian Heritage, whose financial assistance through Canadian Culture Online made this work possible, as well as the support of the Legislative Instruments Re-enactment Team of Justice Canada.