Canada’s own Constitution turns 42 years old this week. Proclamation of the Constitution was called an important step in Canada’s nationhood, with the document outlining the human rights afforded to citizens and non-citizens in our country.
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Calgary Herald; April 16, 1982. Calgary Herald; April 16, 1982. Calgary Herald; April 17, 1982. Queen Elizabeth II signs Canada’s constitutional proclamation in Ottawa on April 17, 1982 as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau looks on. Michael Pitfield in glasses is showing Queen Elizabeth where to sign the document. It’s filled with high-flying rhetoric, but it was the product of backroom wheeling and dealing. Its purpose is to safeguard individual liberty, but it can be overruled in the name of the common good. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a uniquely Canadian document. Postmedia archives photo. Canadian Attorney General Jean Chretien signs the proclamation repatriating Canada’s constitution while Queen Elizabeth II watches. Onlookers include Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Gov. Gen. Ed Schreyer and Michael Pitfield Clerk of the Privy Council. Canadian Press photo; Postmedia archives.
Many Indigenous peoples, however, expressed grave concerns over the Constitution and the impact it would have on them.
Calgary Herald; April 19, 1982.
Protests against the Constitution also occurred in Quebec.
Calgary Herald; April 17, 1982.
After bidding farwell to the Queen, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau did a pirouette to celebrate the signing of the Constitution.
