35 years ago, this week, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was ratified. This was part of a larger undertaking: the patriation of Canada's Constitution from Great Britain. Before this point, Canada was dependent on the British Parliament to approve its laws and, with this change of ultimate authority, the Canadian government entrenched the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to its constitution.
Canada had originally passed the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1960 which was 'An Act for the Recognition and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms', however it had no teeth, could not prevent other discriminatory bills from becoming law, and did not apply to provincial laws. The Charter was crafted after months of negotiations with the provinces to provide protections for all Canadians.
Canada was the first Commonwealth Country to ratify a bill of rights and the Charter has influenced the bills of rights in New Zealand, South Africa, and Hong Kong. To quote a paper by law professors David S. Law and Mila Versteeg: "...Canada has served as a constitutional trendsetter. With its adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982, Canada broke dramatically with the rest of the common law world."
