The Rights and Freedoms Canadians Enjoy

Subject: Law
Pages: 2
Words: 353
Reading time:
2 min

The Canadian Constitution lists the rights and freedoms protected under its provisions; the fundamental rights of Canadians (freedom of religion, expression, and association) are included in the list. Democratic rights (the right to vote, to run a political office), mobility rights, and legal rights are also protected under the Constitution. Equality rights, language, and Aboriginal rights are enlisted as one of the eternal disputes within the Canadian legal framework.

There are some more fundamental freedoms that Canadians enjoy under the provision of their supreme law, but there are some elements that have been transferred under provincial control. These aspects include healthcare, social welfare, and education, administration of provincial lands, etc. This division suggests a certain level of alienation between the federal government and its nation in key national questions.

Some examples supporting this opinion can be provided from separate provincial experiences, e.g., with Aboriginal education that remains a serious problem in Canada. No consensus is reached on whose responsibility it is to provide teaching staff with proper knowledge of Aboriginal languages and be able to provide an adequate educational level for students. As a result, Aboriginal children still receive their education in reservations and remain without equal employment and career opportunities granted to mainstream English- or French-speaking Canadians. The Aboriginal representation in the Parliament is also limited, and in case it is provided, it is usually done by non-Aboriginal representatives. Much has to be included in the Constitution to make the life of Canadians more secure and democratic.

Thus, one should note such necessary inclusions as the right for the privacy of home, correspondence, etc., very popular in the USA and widely used by US citizens. The right to use the national natural resources freely is not discussed in the Constitution as well because there is still no agreement on who is responsible for them etc. The right to proper employment and vacation is also not discussed in due course because of the responsibility for employment previously lying on the provincial government and passed under federal control only recently.