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A bill passed by PM Borden's government to gain votes, allowing women serving overseas or related to a soldier overseas to vote in federal elections. Though it was repealed after WW1, female citizens, aged 21 and over, became eligible to vote in the federal elections in 1918, regardless of their own provincial voting rights. -
In 1922, Judge Emily Murphy was proposed for Senate; despite falling under the criteria of a 'qualified person' she was denied due to being a woman. In response, Murphy gathered four women activists to sign the Famous Five petition toward the government, asking the SCC if the term 'person' included women. The case would reach the highest court at the time, the English Privy Council, who ruled that the term 'person' included both men and women. -
After the Second World War, debates about the oppressive and cruel nature of sections of the Indian Act began to emerge, so for the first time ever, the Canadian government consulted with First Nations about changes that should be applied to the Act. Upon royal assent, bans on Indigenous ceremonies were removed, land claims could be made against the government, and women could vote in council elections. However, the revisions gave provinces control over child welfare, enabling the Sixties Scoop. -
The Bill of Rights was the first federal law in Canada to handle the the human rights and freedoms of Canadians, having been championed by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Diefenbaker took inspiration from the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the provincial 1947 Saskatchewan Bill of Rights. Despite it's precedent, it was ineffective due to being limited just to actions of the federal government; around 30 cases that cited the bill were rejected by the courts over a two decade period. -
The Ontario Human Rights Code list race, religion, disablity and other grounds as being protected from discrimination, being the first of it's kind in Canada -
After negative feedback on the White Paper of Immigration a year prior, the Canadian government enacted legislation that would streamline and lower discriminatory practices in immigration. This new system involved a points system that immigrants would have to fufill to be favoured for entry, covering training, occupational skill, age, known languages, and other categories. The system, still used today, also allows close family of qualified immigrants to be sponsored. -
The 1969 OLA was a statute that made English and French the official languages of Canada. The law was passed based on the recommendations of a royal commission, requiring all government institutions be offer services in both languages. -
In response to protest groups, the commission was established in 1967 by PM Pearson with the purpose of inquiring into aspects of the life of Canadian women and to make any recommendations to ensure equality for them. The commission got around 468 briefs, 1000 letters, and heard around 900 testimonies detailing societal problems faced by women. The commission detailed in their 488-page report 167 recommendations covering pay gaps, maternal leave, and other issues befalling women. -
This act, only covering equality in federal jurisdiction, introduced two new organizations: the Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in 1985. The act also introduced gender, sexual orientation, marital status, ethnicity, pardoned conviction, and physical disability as grounds discrimination.
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The Charter is a core part of the Constitution, outlining the rights and fundamental freedoms of people through all aspects of Canadian life, being considered the highest form of law in the country. It protects legal, democratic, mobility, and equality rights, along with the fundamental freedoms of religion, assembly, and expression. The Charter has significantly impacted contemporary Canada by providing guidelines to keep the government in check and ensure no Canadian is abused. -
A Calgary store owner was charged for operating on Sunday, which violated the Lords Day Act. The owner appealed to Supreme Court, saying that the law violated section 2 of the Charter, which gave Canadians the right to or not to practice religion. The SCC ruled in his favor, striking down the Lords Day Act, the first law to be struck down in it's entirety under the Charter. -
Oakes was charged with illicit possession of narcotics for trafficking. In section 8 of the Narcotics Control Act, the respondent was responsible for proving that they hadn't been trafficking. Oakes challenged the constitutional validity of this because it was a reverse onus, which placed the burden of proof on the accused instead of rightfully on the Crown. The case was taken to the Supreme Court, where they ruled in favor of Oakes, with the charge not being logical to limit his rights.
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Dr Morgentaler was indicted for providing abortions at his clinic in Montreal and his case went to the SCC. Comparing his actions to the 1982 Charter, the court found the statute criminalizing abortions violated the right to 'life, liberty, and security of the person' under s. 7. This decision made abortion legal at any stage of pregnancy in Canada. -
A consolidated and updated OLA that provides more clear framework and highlights the responsibilities of government institutions in providing French and English services. This version also details that parliamentary acts should be published in both languages. -
Vriend had been employed at King's College in Edmonton for 4 years, only to be terminated after disclosing his homosexuality. His complaint to the Alberta Human Rights Commission was denied because sexual orientation wasn't a ground of discrimination in the province. The case was taken to the SCC, who ruled in favor of Vriend, finding the exclusion of sexual orientation unconstitutional under s. 15 of the Charter, along with the order that it be immediately be made a ground of discrimination. -
Marshall, a Mi’kmaq man from Nova Scotia, was charged for fishing and selling eel with an illegal net during closed-season. Marshall argued he had the right to fish under the Peace and Friendship Treaties. Provincial Courts ruled against him on the grounds that he wasn't properly 'trading' the eel under the treaties. The Supreme Court eventually ruled in favor of Marshall, citing that he sold in limited quantities to provide for his family, which is treaty-supported, not for commercial fishing. -
The TRC was established as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, which was organized to compensate survivors of the residential school system. Their responsibilities included organizing Indigenous events and writing a report on what happened at the schools. In their final report, the TRC showed over 3000 students died from poor living conditions, labelling the system 'cultural genocide.' Based on their findings, the TRC made 94 recommendations to the federal government.