25th Anniversary of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms Marked

Today is the 25th anniversary of Canada's adoption of its Charter of Rights and Freedoms that protects many individual rights, including freedom of conscience religion. Marking the anniversary, former prime minister Jean Chretien spoke last night at the University of Ottawa, according to a report by CanWest News Service. Chretien was justice minister in the Trudeau cabinet when the Charter was adopted. While Canada had earlier adopted a Bill of Rights, it was the Charter that gave courts the power to strike down legislation that violated protected rights.