Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — ss.2, 15, 27

Summary

The constitutional bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution Act 1982. Section 2 guarantees fundamental freedoms including expression (2b), peaceful assembly (2c) and association (2d). Section 15 guarantees equality. Section 27 requires the Charter to be interpreted consistently with the preservation and enhancement of Canada's multicultural heritage.

Relevance to the diaspora

Tamil-Canadian activists invoke s.2(b) and (c) to protect LTTE-themed commemorations and protests; s.27 supports arguments that Tamil cultural and political expression is constitutionally valued; s.15 underpins equality challenges to discriminatory immigration enforcement against Tamil claimants.

Key provisions

• s.2(b) — freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression
• s.2(c) — freedom of peaceful assembly
• s.2(d) — freedom of association
• s.15 — equality before and under the law
• s.27 — multicultural heritage interpretive principle
• s.1 — reasonable limits clause (Oakes test)

Primary source

Related entries

• → Canadian Multiculturalism Act 1988 (CA)
• → European Convention on Human Rights — Articles 10, 11 (Expression and Assembly) (ECHR)