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Sections 15 and 28 are part of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms because of the historic activism of Canadian women.
Ottawa (2 April 2009) - Equality Day is celebrated across Canada on April 17 to mark the coming into force of the equality provisions of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms on April 17, 1985.
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has created a poster for the occasion and is encouraging members and the general public to use it in their workplaces, union offices and communities. The poster can be downloaded by clicking here or it can be ordered by e-mailing NUPGE at national@nupge.ca.
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The Charter was signed by Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on April 17, 1982. However, Section 15 was not implemented for another three years, to allow federal, provincial, and territorial governments to analyze all their laws and amend them as necessary.
Section 15 states:
Equality Rights
15.(1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantage individuals or groups including those that are disadvantage because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
Women from across Canada gathered at a landmark Women and the Constitution conference on February 14, 1981, to lobby for the inclusion of these provisions.
An additional clause included in the Constitution was developed at the women’s conference: an overriding principle for implementation of the decisions flowing from any constitutional legal activity.
Section 28 states:
28.Notwithstanding anything in this Charter, the rights and freedoms referred to in it are guaranteed equally to male and female persons.
On this day Canadians everywhere can celebrate the inclusion of Sections 15 and 28 in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As such they form part of the Canadian Constitution. These sections are there because of the activism of Canadian women.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
More information:
Download - NUPGE Equality Day Poster 2009