Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a constitutional provision that protects an individual's autonomy and personal legal rights from actions of the government in Canada. There are three types of protection within the section: the right to life, liberty and security of the person. Denials of these rights are constitutional only if the denials do not breach what is referred to as fundamental justice.
Henry Morgentaler, right, successfully challenged abortion law as a breach of security of person in R v Morgentaler (1988).
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, often simply referred to as the Charter in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982. The Charter guarantees certain political rights to Canadian citizens and civil rights of everyone in Canada from the policies and actions of all governments in Canada. It is designed to unify Canadians around a set of principles that embody those rights. The Charter was proclaimed in force by Queen Elizabeth II of Canada on April 17, 1982, as part of the Constitution Act, 1982.
English language version of the Charter
Printed copies of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was a major advocate of the Charter.
The building of the Supreme Court of Canada, the chief authority on the interpretation of the Charter