Originally published in TEACH Magazine, 40 Years of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Special Issue, 2022
By Carolyn Gruske
The setup almost sounds like a joke: Three politicians walk into a hotel kitchen one evening—a federal Liberal, an Ontario Progressive Conservative, and a New Democratic Party member from Saskatchewan. They walk out with a deal to make Canada a truly independent nation, change the way the country is governed, set an example to the rest of the world about how to entrench modern human rights into law, and reshape the sense of Canadian identity.
But the scenario is no joke. In reality, it’s one vital step in the long journey that ultimately led to the patriation of the constitution and the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Carolyn Gruske is an award-winning reporter and magazine editor. She often writes about the intersection of business, technology, and the law, but she also has a deep interest in educational topics.
