Rights & Freedoms

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Legislation that outlines individual rights and freedoms in Canada.

Section 1

Allows laws to restrict individual rights within reasonable limits to maintain a democratic society.

Supreme Court of Canada

The highest court in Canada, responsible for dealing with matters of constitutionality.

Notwithstanding Clause

Allows provincial governments to ignore sections of the Charter for 5+ years.

Bill 101

Law that reduced English language minority rights in Quebec.

Collective Rights

Rights held by a group or community, such as Anglophone, Francophone, and Aboriginal peoples.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 Supreme Court ruling that mandated the desegregation of schools in the United States.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A civil rights protest against bus segregation initiated by Rosa Parks.

Civil Rights Movement

A movement aimed at ending racial discrimination and securing equal rights for African Americans.

Voting Rights Act

1965 legislation aimed at eliminating barriers to voting for African Americans.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization working for civil rights.

SCLC

Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization led by Martin Luther King Jr.

Desjure Discrimination

Legal discrimination enforced by laws, such as Jim Crow laws.

Defacto Discrimination

Discrimination that exists in practice, not enforced by law, such as in housing.

Civil Disobedience

A nonviolent protest against unjust laws or policies.