I. INTRODUCTION Freedom of expression is one of Canada’s fundamental freedoms, as laid out by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This freedom is highly valued in most democratic countries and as such is very highly protected. The Ontario Human Right Code grants everyone freedom from discrimination on multiple different grounds. Recently, conflicts have occurred between these two rights when the freedom of expression is used to discriminate against a person or group of persons. Often, these groups are discriminated against very harshly.…
What would Canada be like if feminists hadn’t existed? Second wave feminism was the most influential wave of the three achieving the following three main goals; ending discrimination in the workplace, lessening sexual exploitation/sexual abuse, and gaining reproductive rights. It is defined as a period of feminist activity that first began in the early 1960s and lasted through the 1980s. The struggle women faced with discrimination was extremely evident as 14 people were slaughtered, and 13 injured in Montreal.…
One of the more recent issues we have in Canada is the passing of the Bill C-10. The Bill C-10(also known as the Safe Streets and Communities Act) is a law that passed in March, 2012. When the Conservatives introduced this bill they wanted to get it passed as soon as possible, so when they put it through The House of Commons, many people could not fully read through the bill and have a proper understanding of what it’s actually proposing. The bill has nine separate measures. The measures include replacing the pardon system with ‘record suspensions’, mandatory minimum sentences for certain sexual offences, and mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug offences, making it illegal to give sexually explicit information available to a kid, increasing…
The Constitution is the foundation for the rights we have today. It is hard to believe that it has stood the test of time and continues to be as valid today as the day it was ratified. This is not because the men who created this important document could see into the future or had all the answers to America’s unseen problems; this is because the Constitution has the ability to be altered. These particular alterations are called amendments. The Constitution, before any amendments, was not totally accepted.…
“Sex-Work; a way of living” Sex trafficking, an epidemic in its most latent manner, effects the morals and rights of freedom and protection of society. In 2014, Bill C-36 under Canada’s Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, received its assent of legalization. The Parliament Members of Canada have grave concerns about the exploitation, objectification, risks of violence and the disproportionate impact on women and children inherent in prostitution (PCEPA 2014). Although the legislation passed by the Canadian parliament initially intents to tackle the issues of human trafficking and their exploitation, however it fails to put into perspective the actual stakeholders being effected by Bill C-36. It mistakenly assumes sex-work as…
Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability” (Government of Canada, 2013). This is a quote from the Canadian Charter Rights and Freedom, section 15. Although it states every person shall not be discriminated against, this does not seem to be the case in the health care system in Canada, especially in a certain population. In this paper, female newcomers and the obstacles shaped around them in health care will be discussed. The health care system in Canada has formed barriers that are racist towards…
Migrant Workers and the children of those who have immigrated to Canada, face countless issues with their human rights. The rights that should be entitled to them are denied and taken away, and they are treated as less than human. Migrant workers in many cases have faced numerous violations of their rights, and have been abused in a variety of different ways. The employers that hire them often abuse them without any repercussions from the law or the government. The reason behind this lack of action is because the system used to monitor their rights is a complaint system used by most provinces (Leo 2014).…
1. Power is distributed between the federal and provincial government due to Canada being a federal state. Both levels of government shares the obligation and jurisdiction over particular sectors of law and divisions such as; health care, corrections and many more. The Queen of England is the head of the government and the Governor General acts as her representative in Canada and works alongside the Prime Minister, which leaves Canada as a constitutional monarchy.…
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982. The Charter guarantees civil rights to everyone in Canada and was designed to unify Canadians. The Charter was signed into law by Queen Elizabeth II of Canada on April 17, 1982 along with the rest of the Act. “However, the Bill of Rights is only a federal statute, rather than a constitutional document.” (Wikipedia 04/06/15)…
The entrenchment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and its relation to democracy in Canada has been at the core of many debates throughout the years. A democratic government is one that allows the people to have a direct hand in what goes on in their country and some believe that entrenching the charter of rights in the constitution is a violation of the principles of this democracy. Although the charter of rights is entrenched, the charter of rights is very abstract in its rules and allows for flexibility when decisions are made. Adding to this, section 1 and 33 of the charter of rights is explicit in overcoming the argument that the entrenchment of the charter of rights violates any principles of democracy. Throughout my essay, I will argue…
Multiculturalism is another huge factor which changed Canada and became part of its identity. Multiculturalism can be referred to as, “ an ideological aspiration celebrating diversity”(Hyman, Meinhard & Shields, 2011, pg.3). Globalization played a huge role in establishing Canada as a sovereign multicultural state. Canada can be considered to be cultural mosaic as it is home to variety of cultures and religions from across the globe. However, colonization of Canada resulted in formation of a multicultural state with three main founding founding people the aboriginals, French and the British (Dewing, 2009, p.1).…
The form and content of the Constitution Act (1982) and the current status of individual and collective rights in Canada today is a third important aspect of the “rights” here in Canada. Without the Constitution Act (1982) and the current status of individual and collective rights in Canada, Canada’s society would have stayed the same regarding the “rights” of the citizens. As years go by, society changes and that means that the “rights” have to change as well in order to keep up with Canada’s changing society. As the Constitution Act changed throughout the years it improved Canada’s living environment by creating the “rights” that were needed amongst the citizens of Canada at that current time. Without the Constitution Act (1982) and the current…
The Saskatchewan bill of rights covers both fundamental freedoms and equality rights. It was introduced in 1947 under the guidance of Tommy Douglas. In it, the first category protects the freedom of conscience, opinion, religion and expression. It also protects peaceful assembly and association and protects against random arrest and detention. The second category prohibits discrimination in employment, occupations, businesses, property, accommodation and services and professional associations and unions.…
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms can be seen as all-encompassing, and yet, it does not dictate the rules to follow regarding a major component of each person’s life: employment. Or does it? A vast portion of our lives in Canada is spent working, and regardless of the work environment, we interact with other people who may or may not come from the same backgrounds and ideologies as we do. With no specific terminology in the Charter that includes employment law, we must look between the lines and find the connections that lay within. The Charter provides the roadmap for Canadian principles and social values; it lays out the rights and freedoms we have as a people, and promotes the protection of those human rights through its laws.…
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) is an association of groups operating under the Elizabeth Fry Society Banner that advertises as an agency devoted to helping women and female youth who are, or may be, at risk of coming into contact with the law. The society has multiple charters throughout Canada and they offer a variety of different programs and services to provide women with confidential and supportive living and learning environments. The association exists to ensure substantive equality in the development and delivery of programs and services through public education, research, and legislative and administrative reform. This paper will analyze and critique The Elizabeth Fry Society; in particular, its strengths…