The Charter @ 25

The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada will mark the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms at its annual national conference in February 2007.

"The Charter has had a transformational effect on Canadian citizenship, Canadian federalism and the relationship between Parliament and the courts," said MISC director Antonia Maioni. "We see the 25th anniversary next year as an occasion for an appraisal of its impact, with a need for reflection on the state of democracy in Canada."

The working title of the annual MISC conference is "The Charter @ 25." It will be held in Montreal from February 14 to 16, 2007. Co-chairs of the organizing committee are Christopher Manfredi, Chair of the Department of Political Science and Dean-designate of Arts at McGill University, and L. Ian MacDonald, editor of Policy Options, the magazine of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Professor Manfredi is a leading authority on the Charter, and Policy Options will publish a special issue coinciding with the conference. A book of conference proceedings will also be published by McGill-Queen's University Press.

From its coming into force on April 17, 1982, the Charter has become the second framework of the Canadian constitutional experience, to go along with the Constitution Act of 1867. "But the BNA Act is fundamentally about the division of powers between Ottawa and the provinces," notes Professor Maioni, "whereas the Charter has had a huge impact on the relationship between citizens, and between the courts and Parliament."

Among topics and themes to be explored at the conference is the intent of the framers, several of whom will be invited to participate. The Charter's impact on federalism and national unity, as well as the courts versus Parliament, will also be discussed.

"Our hope is that this will be the definitive conference on the 25th anniversary of the Charter," says Professor Maioni.

About the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada

Over the past decade, the Institute has emerged as a significant non-partisan, bilingual and effective meeting ground that brings together a wide range of voices and ideas in exploring major issues affecting the lives and well-being of Canadians.

For further information: MISC website.