Not Your Ancestor's Magna Carta

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:


- allows affirmative action, which is racism of lowered expectations (6:4)

- has been a boon to criminal lawyers (11)

- has allowed for a francophone oligarchy (16-22)

- has enforced the Indian Act, which has been disastrous for the aboriginals (25)


What's been so great about it?


Related: Chretien is a douchebag:

Today, the 30th anniversary of the charter is going virtually unmarked by the federal government, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper suggesting the lack of enthusiasm is due to sensitivity over the lingering "divisions" caused by patriation.

"It will always be like that," Chretien told The Canadian Press. "They have a culture of grievance over it, not looking at the facts."

The facts, Chretien said, are that 90 per cent of Quebecers supported the Charter of Rights and favoured ending Canada's status as a "legal colony" that had to go cap in hand to the British parliament to make any changes to the fundamental law of the land.

What's more, he said, "They use the Charter of Rights all the time in Quebec. And I'm sure that in the riding of (former Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles) Duceppe, where the gay village is in Montreal, that they're quite happy with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

Legalization of same-sex marriage is among the seminal court rulings that have resulted from the charter, which protects fundamental civil liberties from infringement by federal or provincial governments.

(with thanks)