Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

This French language button was created for the Ad Hoc Women and the Constitution Conference held in Ottawa on February 14, 1981, during the debate over the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. About 1,300 women from across the country attended. The event was organized by feminist groups following the federal government’s cancellation of a constitutional conference planned by the Advisory Council on the Status of Women. The ad hoc conference called for a stronger equality-rights clause and a specific guarantee of equal rights between men and women. Both reforms were included in the final Charter.

In February 1981, in response to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women organized a conference that would discuss the impact of the constitution on women. This conference was cancelled by the federal government. In response to the cancellation, NAC rallied coalitions and supporters to demand a specific clause on equal rights between women and men. Section 15 and 28 of the Charter came into effect on 17 April 1985.

More about Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms – Section 15 (1982)

In 1980, Prime Minister Trudeau advanced a plan to patriate the Constitution, including a Charter of Rights and Freedoms from Britain to Canada. A Special Joint Committee of the House of Commons and the Senate held public hearings which allowed the public to propose amendments. The National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) spoke to the public hearings on 20 November 1980, calling for the Charter to recognise equality between women and men.

In February 1981, NAC planned a women’s conference to discuss the potential impact of the constitution on women; the federal government cancelled it. In response, Doris Anderson, President of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, resigned in protest, and feminist groups organised a counter conference and formed a coalition, the Ad Hoc Committee of Canadian Women on the Constitution. On 14 February 1981, about 1,300 women met in Parliament to demand a specific clause on equal rights between women and men.

Sections 15 and 28 were included in the Charter, although they did not come into effect until 17 April 1985: section 15 provides for “equal treatment before and under the law, and equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination” and section 28 states, “Notwithstanding anything in this Charter, the rights and freedoms referred to in it are guaranteed equally to male and female persons.”

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This French language button was created for the Ad Hoc Women and the Constitution Conference held in Ottawa on February 14, 1981, during the debate over the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. About 1,300 women from across the country attended. The event was organized by feminist groups following the federal government’s cancellation of a constitutional conference planned by the Advisory Council on the Status of Women. The ad hoc conference called for a stronger equality-rights clause and a specific guarantee of equal rights between men and women. Both reforms were included in the final Charter.
Conférence Constitution. Ottawa – Feb 14 1981

  • Year created:

    1981

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    French
On February 14, 1981, during the debate over the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, about 1,300 women from across the country held their own Ad Hoc Women and the Constitution Conference in Ottawa. This event was organized by feminist groups following the federal government’s cancellation of a constitutional conference planned by the Advisory Council on the Status of Women. The ad hoc conference called for a stronger equality-rights clause and a specific guarantee of equal rights between men and women. Both reforms were included in the final Charter.
Women and the Constitution – February 14 1981

  • Year created:

    1981

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English

Documents
Why You Need To Be At The Constitutional Table

  • Year created:

    --

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English