Do you know your rights as a Canadian citizen?

[Tonington]

Frequently when these discussions start talking about rights of individuals, minority groups and majority groups, it seems to me there are an awful lot of people who don't understand what the Charter actually does for them, what our laws actually mean to them and what your rights actually are.

So heres a few documents of interest that I think should be made mandatory in our education system, to name a few.
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/Charter/index.html
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/Const/annex_e.html
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/ShowFullDoc/cs/A-1///en (Access to Information Act)

Following up on this, Richard Dreyfus makes many valid points concerning the aspects of Civics and they certainly apply to Canada just as much as they do to America.

Note there are many other net resources besides this small clip

Theres a number of members here on this site who have realized the faults of following mainstream media as their guiding voice on current affairs. Unfortunately, many people do not grasp the concept that by swallowing these dog treats tailored to their specific view of reality, they aren't exposed to the bigger picture.

To send our kids out into the world with only a basic understanding of the new rights they have (and where they have come from, if they even know them to begin with) as legal age Canadians is a huge mistake. In fact I would think that a Civics class would be more important than Global history, Math, Physics, English, or any of the other mandatory classes students are required to pass to fulfill their graduatory requirements.

 

[tamarin]

Oh, tralalala...
Rights are only as good as they are enforceable. Canadian courts are in a mess. No enforcement, no rights.
The kids should learn that first.

 

[Tonington]

If they don't know what there rights are they don't even have the opportunity to make it to the courts, unless someone tells them and they ought to know themselves rather than take someones word for it.

A jaded approach certainly doesn't help them in any way at all.

 

[westmanguy]

I don't know my rights...

But I am sure if I ever got involved in the judicial system, I could use these rights to weasel out of any crime.

 

[Tonington]

I don't know my rights...

But I am sure if I ever got involved in the judicial system, I could use these rights to weasel out of any crime.

Well, thats jumping the gun just a tad. Best to let your Lawyer handle that and the large volumes of case law which set precedent.

 

[westmanguy]

Sorry Tonington,

I apologize I came into this thread with a pessimistic attitude.

To me rights are great, but its seems responsibilities & duties are being thrown out the window.

For my rights to be respected, I have to respect other's rights.
For others rights to be respected, I must respect their rights.

And it seems the judicial system is being hypocritical there.

Criminals do not respect others rights! Plain and simple!

And with rights come responsibilities & duties.

I think the main issue to me is, some Canadians are not upholding their responsiblities/duties, and our hype on rights, is not punishing this.

I mean if my rights are not respected, then that person who disrespects my rights, loses their rights, because they disrespected my rights.

Do you understand where I am coming from?

 

[Tonington]

Sorry Tonington,

I apologize I came into this thread with a pessimistic attitude.

To me rights are great, but its seems responsibilities & duties are being thrown out the window.

For my rights to be respected, I have to respect other's rights.
For others rights to be respected, I must respect their rights.

And it seems the judicial system is being hypocritical there.

Criminals do not respect others rights! Plain and simple!

And with rights come responsibilities & duties.

I think the main issue to me is, some Canadians are not upholding their responsiblities/duties, and our hype on rights, is not punishing this.

I mean if my rights are not respected, then that person who disrespects my rights, loses their rights, because they disrespected my rights.

Do you understand where I am coming from?

I completely understand what you're saying. I'm of the opinion that the truly despicable don't deserve the same rights as your every day citizen. I think they deserve a fair trial, I don't think they deserve cushy prisons.

I think there is a big difference between a man or woman who walks in and finds their lover/partner in an act of infidelity and murders in a crime of passion, when compared to serial murderers, sex offenders andthose haneous crimes. I don't think we owe those scumbags anything, except to ensure we can get something out of them for the betterment of society, maybe like guinea pigs for drug treatments. I'm sure I'll be lambasted by some for that but I can't see them deserving the same rights as a productive law abiding citizen.

As to some of our responsibilities, I don't think we are doing enough. That's part of the Civics thing I was getting at, the clip from Dreyfus. Democracy to me is more than a single vote in an election. We aren't involved enough with what happens in Ottawa. It's hard to get people motivated now, we've become too complacent and if we don't fight for things, when we lose them we deserve it. Revolutions happen much more frequently in oppressive regimes and we've given up our activism because of the purported greatness that democracy is touted as.

 

[westmanguy]

Yep!

I think we should have two tiers of rights.

One tier for every single human being in our nation.

And another tier for law abiding productive citizens.

Meaning these law abiding productive citizens get more rights than the basic garunteed rights.

I think you should have some rights cut off while your serving prison time, probation time, or some other punishment by the courts.

Inhumane treatment I guess is wrong, we don't have death penalty, which is good, but

in prisons we don't owe you media, we don't owe you a vote in elections, we don't owe you entertainment, we don't owe you social interaction.

We owe you a sleeping place, a toilet, a once per day shower, and basic food. Nothing else is owed to criminals.

NOTHING, but Canada doesn't do that! I mean I even have the opinion prisons should be revamped into factories, where criminals make furniture, or something else, and they give back to the government through profits.

And murders of passion are different from murders of pure evil.

And my other issue is sexual abuse.. they kill a person emotionally, scar them for life, and have a HUGE chance of repeat offense. They should be up their in sentences with murder.

Anyways this nation, has to realize you lose certain rights and privellages when you disrespect the rights of others and our gov. We all have basic rights, but we should all lose some rights when we break the law.

 

[Sparrow]

I believe it is only when we know our rights that we can fight for them. It would be a good thing if it were taught in school, they teach a whole lot of other crap that they don't really need.

We have gotten complacent and that is dangerous.

When it comes to criminals they should loose their rights, but there are too many bleeding hearts out there for that to happen. They break the law, they need to pay! I would even bring in the chain gang for the severe cases, they could repair our highways. They would get fresh air, exercise and we would get better roads. We need to stop treating them like guests.

 

[El Barto]

Its funny an immigrant knows Canadian law more than me.

 

[tamarin]

You cannot have rights in a culture of entitlement. You cannot have rights in a nominal democracy. Canada is both.

 

[hermanntrude]

so tamarin you believe you don't have any rights? you should visit some african countries and compare.

 

[tamarin]

You sound like my mother: now eat your turnip, kids in Africa are starving! Hey, but I love her still!
Canada is increasingly authoritarian and the state exerts more and more control over an individual's life and choices. It is a nominal democracy. Such systems do not produce rights as much as they do obligations.

 

[hermanntrude]

But you still have rights. You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to represenatation in a court of law.... etc

 

[Tonington]

Canada is increasingly authoritarian and the state exerts more and more control over an individual's life and choices. It is a nominal democracy. Such systems do not produce rights as much as they do obligations.

All the more reason why Civics should be taught. An informed group makes informed decisions, uninformed cannot make informed decisions. Perhaps this would also get young voters out more? Certainly can't hurt.

 

[hermanntrude]

I think it's a very good idea tonington. I'm surprised I didnt think of it ;0)

 

[Tonington]

I can't take the credit, I only realy considered it after hearing Mr. Dreyfus speak about it, then I realized the things he was saying were all things I had considered before, just never able to formulate it all into a cohesive idea.

 

[tamarin]

I'd much rather have the right to have a smoke in a restaurant.
I'd much rather have the right to drive buckled or unbuckled.
I'd much rather have the right to fully protect my home from an intruder.
I'd much rather have the right to know those convicted of crime in my community despite their age.
I'd much rather have the right to have a birthday free of emission tests and licence costs and every other government inspired compliance cost.
I'd much rather have the right to purchase items free of child-proof regulations that should belong only to those wishing them.
I'd much rather have the right to apply for any job (if I choose to again) and be judged first on my merit and not my background or the colour of my skin or the number of my disabilities.
And a thousand other nitwitty things that Canadians put up with on a daily basis in the great Nanny State the country has become.

 

[hermanntrude]

I'd much rather have the right to have a smoke in a restaurant.
I'd much rather have the right to drive buckled or unbuckled.
I'd much rather have the right to fully protect my home from an intruder.
I'd much rather have the right to know those convicted of crime in my community despite their age.
I'd much rather have the right to have a birthday free of emission tests and licence costs and every other government inspired compliance cost.
I'd much rather have the right to purchase items free of child-proof regulations that should belong only to those wishing them.
I'd much rather have the right to apply for any job (if I choose to again) and be judged first on my merit and not my background or the colour of my skin or the number of my disabilities.
And a thousand other nitwitty things that Canadians put up with on a daily basis in the great Nanny State the country has become.

seriously tamarin, don't move to the UK!

maybe you could try france? they smoke everywhere there

 

[hermanntrude]

I agree with some of your points and some i don't. You gotta take the good with the bad in a country.