Green Party of Canada celebrates Charter anniversary

Rights and Freedoms must be enforceable

April 16, 2007

Ottawa – Tuesday, April 17 marks the 25th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Because of the Charter, Canada has become a human rights leader and has seen tremendous progress in areas such as equality, procedural fairness, and freedom of speech, religion, and choice. However, further progress will be impeded by the lack of access to the justice system for those whose Charter rights have been infringed.

“The Green Party of Canada believes strongly in the Charter and the rights and freedoms that it guarantees,” said Elizabeth May. “We salute the many people who have championed these rights and freedoms, often at great personal sacrifice. They have made Canada a better place for all. They are our heroes.”

Here are just a few Charter Heroes:

• Clifford Lincoln, who in 1988 resigned from the Quebec government for its use of the notwithstanding clause. He famously said “rights are rights are rights. There is no such thing as inside rights and outside rights. No such thing as rights for the tall and rights for the short. No such thing as rights for the front and rights for the back, rights for the east and rights for the west. Rights are rights and will always be rights. There are no partial rights.”
• The Little Sisters bookstore in downtown Vancouver fought for over 10 years against unfair censorship by Canada Customs. Although the Supreme Court found in Little Sisters’ favour, Canada Customs did not stop harassing them. When Little Sisters applied for advance funding to take Canada Customs back to court, the Supreme Court turned them down, ruling that such funding was available only in the rarest of cases.
• Harbhajan Singh, who along with six other Sikh individuals successfully fought for the right of refugee claimants, culminating in a 1985 Supreme Court ruling that the Charter applies to all, including foreign nationals. The ruling resulted in the establishment of the Immigration Refugee Board.
• Delwin Vriend, who was fired because he was gay at a time when Alberta’s human rights legislation offered no protection to gay, lesbian or bisexual people. Because of this, he couldn’t even make a claim with the province’s human rights commission. The Supreme Court ruled that no disadvantaged minority group could be excluded from human rights protection.

• The Council of Canadians with Disabilities, who on March 23, 2007 succeeded in having the Supreme Court order VIA Rail to make all its trains accessible to Canadians with disabilities.
"I care deeply about the Charter rights and freedoms of all Canadians, including lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, immigrants, women, people with disabilities and others who have suffered prejudice and discrimination,” said Adriane Carr, Deputy Leader. “These rights must be protected not only in principle, but in practice. For example, the government should help pay Little Sisters’ legal bills so they can go forward with what is clearly a very important case.”
“As a gay man, I’m so proud of the Green Party of Canada’s record of supporting the Charter and human rights,” said Laurie Arron, Executive Director. “In 1996, the Green Party of Canada became the first federal political party to officially support the inclusion of same-sex couples in civil marriage. Then, as now, the Green Party was ahead of the crowd.”

“Unfortunately, our precious Charter rights and freedoms are now in question,” said Ms. May. “With the government’s cancellation of funding for the Court Challenges Program and the Law Commission of Canada, most Canadians simply can’t afford to take their challenges forward. Our rights and freedoms are only as real as our ability to enforce them.”

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Contact:
Camille Labchuk
613-882-4761