Canadian and Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Canadian Bar Association is a national association regrouping 35,000 members across Canada, including 3,500 jurists judges, attorneys and notaries in Quebec.  One of the mission of the CBA is to foster respect and understanding of the law through public education.  An understanding of the law is fundamental to protecting and promoting the rights of all citizens in a free and democratic society.

The executive of the Quebec branch of the CBA has identified the secondary school as an environment in which it could assist in promoting legal knowledge.  To this end, a partnership was struck between educators from three Montreal area school boards and Quebec jurists to develop a pilot project.

As the " tree from which all other laws are interpreted" the Canadian Constitution is a natural starting point for legal studies.  To make it interesting for students who have little legal background, it was decided to introduce them to law by teaching individual rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

It is hoped that the  secondary IV students for whom this program is prepared will develop both a greater interest and understanding in our legal system and though the mock trial with exercises, acquire the sense that oftentimes rights must be advocated to be protected.

The Quebec branch of the Canadian Bar Association wishes to acknowledge the substantial contribution of the following persons without whose efforts this project would not have been possible:
 

EDUCATORS

MEMBERS OF THE CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION:

At present there are three activities: