Rights, Responsibilities, and Canadian Citizenship

1. Rights, Responsibilities, and Canadian Citizenship True leadership is servanthood, not lordship. Matthew 20:20-28

2. Canadian Citizenship • The people of a country are called citizens. • Citizens have specific rights and responsibilities • Can be a citizen by birth in Canada, or immigration. • Equal rights and privileges for all citizens.

3. Important responsibilities: loyal to country, the queen and her representatives. Must obey Canada’s laws. Care for the country’s heritage and support its ideals. • By becoming informed then you can become a responsible citizen. • Non Canadian Citizens have the same legal rights and have to obey the law but cannot run for office.

4. Rights • A Right is something is something they are entitled to because they are human. • Non gifts or privileges, cannot be earned or bought. • Natural Human Rights- life, liberty and personal security. • Considered essential for human dignity. Abstract ideal, not a guarantee.

5. Each society protects the ones they find important. • Idea of all people having rights is new. (slavery and middle ages, women and natives) • Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects fundamental freedoms in Canada. • Freedom protects individuals from government and other individuals. • Some rights are collective.

6. Responsibilities • A person who becomes a Canadian has to take an oath. • As long as government does not interfere with peoples rights, it can make laws. • We have the responsibility to respect the governments ability to make laws and to observe those laws.

7. Just as we get services from the government, we have the responsibility to pay taxes for them. • Responsibility to protect the rights of others as well as our own. • Responsibility to participate in the political system for the good of the country. • Governments in turn have responsibilities to citizens. • Brokaw Explains Canada

8. Charter of Rights and Freedoms • Before the charter individual rights protected by tradition. • 1982- rights enshrined in the constitution. • Can be changed only by special amendment. • Courts protect rights of individuals.

9. Groups of Rights: Democratic, mobility, legal, equality, and language. • Must be a balance between individual rights and freedoms and the common good. • Fundamental Freedoms: conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression. Freedom of the press, peaceful assembly and association. • Right to vote also enshrined.

10. Guaranteed the right to life, liberty and security of the person. • Everyone equal under the law without discrimination based on race, ethnic or national origin, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability. • English and French official languages. The right to be served in either of them. • Native rights also laid out and protected. Any laws that violate the constitution are null and void.

11. Provincial human rights protection • Provinces also pass laws to protect individual rights for the workplace and provincial jurisdiction. • Also have human rights commissions in Alberta there is the Alberta bill of rights and the individual protection act.

12. These are not constitutional documents and can be amended easily. • Human rights commissions • If you feel you have been discriminated against you can complain to the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

13. The Commission is appointed by the LT governor and is an independent organization. • Investigates complaints and tries to come up with compromises. • Can request that the province become involved if no solution is forthcoming. • Commission can only help individuals if they complain about discrimination.

14. Protecting Rights • Today we take for granted that the government protects people’s rights and freedoms but it has not always been this way. • Prejudice – consists of what people think judging in advance, it can be learned. • Discrimination – how people act based on their ideas or prejudice. • Minorities have often been discriminated against in our history.

15. Examples: • Chinese immigration • 1850’s – Chinese immigrants begin settling in BC. • 1870’s the CPR brought in 17000 Chinese workers • Railway completed in 1885. • Were uneasy about the difference in culture and beliefs of the Chinese. • Canadian government put a head tax on Asian immigrants. • 1923 – passed a law prohibiting immigration from Asian countries. • 1967 – Canadian government removed the restrictions.

16. Ukrainian work camps • During WWI Canadian government acted to “protect” Canadians from enemy sympathizers. • Used the War Measures Act • Government moved 8000 Ukrainian Canadians from homes to work in camps and forced 88000 to report their whereabouts regularly to the government. • Despite discrimination 10000 Ukrainians joined the forces and many changed their names to hide their cultural origin.

17. Japanese Internment • WWII – Canadian Government removed the rights and freedoms of Japanese Canadians because Japan was a ally of Germany. • Used the War Measures Act • After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour, Japanese Canadians were moved from within 160 km of the Pacific ocean and placed 20000 in internment camps in the interior of BC and Southern Alberta. • Some were deported and the government sold their homes, businesses and personal property.

18. Women • Women lived under the authority of their father until they turned 21. • Once she married all her property and wages belonged to her husband. • Her political views were represented by her husbands vote. • 1918 – Women achieved the right to vote in federal elections. • Women successfully fought to be made persons under the law. • Women now protected under Charter.

19. Native Peoples • Hundreds of years of discrimination. • Charter recognizes Native and Treaty rights, but many remain controversial and protected by law. • This includes the right to self-determination and the limitation of women under Native law. • Aboriginal collective thought • First Nations, Métis and Inuit rights

20. Fostering Tolerance • The government has taken measures to prevent discrimination. • From the bill of rights in 1960 to the Charter of Rights in 1982. • Affirmative action and employment equity used to help against discrimination.

21. Establishment of citizen review boards to investigate complaints. • Multicultural festivals, translation services • Discrimination still exists for many minority groups which affects their participation in society.

22. Quebec • Until after WWII Quebec was satisfied with trying to increase Canadian independence from Britain • Starting during the Conscription Crisis in 1917 Quebec started to feel that it should be independent from Canada

23. During the 1950s and 60s Quebec underwent the “Quiet Revolution” where they started to feel confident about their nationality (either within or independent from Canada) • Changed from a quiet religious society controlled by English-speaking businessmen to an assertive secular society who wanted to control its own destiny

24. No Prime Minister since Diefenbaker (1960) has managed to get away with being less than partially bilingual • In 1968 Rene Levesque formed the Parti Quebecois in an attempt to gain independence for Quebec through legal and constitutional means

25. In the 1970s this resulted in the FLQ Crisis (Front du Liberation du Quebec) who went to violent extremes to gain independence for Quebec but were rejected by most Quebecers after the murder of a local politician that they had kidnapped • SS#16-4

26. 1976 – PQ wins the provincial Quebec election but does not move to separate right away • 1977 – Bill 101 passed – making French the only official language of Quebec • Rene Levesque proposed the idea of “sovereignty-association” (divorce with a joint bank account) • 1980 Referendum – 60% NO, 40% YES to negotiation for sovereignty

27. 1982 – Constitution patriated without Quebec (more alienation) • Failure of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords further alienated Quebecers • 1992 - Lucien Bouchard Split from Brian Mulroney and formed the Bloc Quebecois

29. 1993 – Bloc Quebecois elected as the Official Opposition • 1995 Referendum – 50.5% NO, 49.5% YES • 2001 – Clarity Act (clear majority on a clear question) • Separatists continue to promote sovereignty-association (same money and passports, part of NAFTA, no debt, equalization payments, etc)

31. Federalists continue to say that independence means that they have to take their part of the national debt, which would cripple them, as well as get their own money, etc) • Separation would undoubtedly mean a huge political shift in Canada, instability in the economy, and problems getting goods to and from the Atlantic provinces.