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Article: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- Article from:
- Canada and the World Backgrounder
- Article date:
- December 1, 1995
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Canada & the World. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In a federal state, the constitution sets out the rules for dividing power and responsibility between the federal and provincial governments. The constitution is the supreme law of the land, and all legislation passed by either level of government must comply with its requirements. After the American Revolution, the former British colonies drafted a constitution for their new country, and included a bill of rights to protect individuals against all oppressive state. Following the British tradition, much of our Canadian Constitution was unwritten. in Canada, the rule of law and traditional ideas about the rights of citizens to such things as a fair trial and freedom of the ...