Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada as the first part of the Constitution Act 1982, guaranteeing political rights to Canadian citizens and civil rights to everyone in Canada. It was proclaimed in force by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 April 1982 at the request of the Parliament of Canada under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, succeeding the weaker 1960 Canadian Bill of Rights, a mere federal statute that Canadian courts had interpreted narrowly and that had no application to provincial laws. The Charter greatly expanded the scope of judicial review by giving Canadian courts explicit power to strike down unconstitutional federal and provincial laws, attracting both broad public support and criticism from opponents of increased judicial power.