How does the Charter reflect the past?

1. How does the Charter reflect the past? How effectively does the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protect your individual rights?

2. Human rights in Canada have been built slowly, step by step. Compare building a brick house to building human rights. Just as human rights are built one milestone at a time, so are brick houses built brick by brick, layer by layer, from foundation to rooftop. • Rights and freedoms are very important in a free and democratic society. However, building this free and democratic society was one milestone at a time. Let’s look at the building of Canada’s free and democratic society. • http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/en/index.asp

3. How does the Charter reflect the past? • You have just investigated human rights issues and milestones in Canada that occurred over the last 100 years. Human rights in Canada have evolved over the last century. There was a time, however, when people suffered great prejudices in their everyday life. • prejudice: a prejudgment or an opinion, point of view, or perspective that a person makes without understanding all the facts.

4. Thinking Critically • Let’s look at examples of prejudices that have occurred in Canada’s history. • Turn to page 101 in your textbook. Let’s look at the “Did You Know” textbox and the introduction to this section. • ASSIGNMENT: • 1. Read pages 100-103. Summarize each example. • 2. With a partner, complete two cause and effect charts.