Page "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" Paragraph 52

The Charter has been amended since its enactment.

Section 25 was amended in 1983 to explicitly recognize more rights regarding Aboriginal land claims, and section 16. 1 was added in 1993.

A proposed Rights of the Unborn Amendment in 1986 – 1987, which would have enshrined fetal rights, failed in the federal Parliament.

Other proposed amendments to the Constitution, included in the Charlottetown Accord of 1992, were never passed.

These amendments would have specifically required the Charter to be interpreted in a manner respectful of Quebec's distinct society, and would have added further statements to the Constitution Act, 1867 regarding racial and sexual equality and collective rights, and about minority language communities.

Though the Accord was negotiated among many interest groups, the resulting provisions were so vague that Trudeau, then out of office, feared they would actually conflict with and undermine the Charter's individual rights.

He felt judicial review of the rights might be undermined if courts had to favour the policies of provincial governments, as governments would be given responsibility over linguistic minorities.

Trudeau thus played a prominent role in leading the popular opposition to the Accord.