Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Aboriginal Rights

Rights held by Aboriginal Peoples in Canada based on ancestral and longstanding use and occupancy of the land, as outlined in section 25 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Assimilation

The process of absorbing one cultural group into another so that the characteristics of the absorbed group are suppressed

Bias

A distorted or prejudiced view not based on fairness and accuracy

Censor

To edit, ban, suppress, or prevent public display or expression; not to be confused with censure

Collective Bargaining

A process in which representatives of employees negotiate with employers to reach an agreement on wages, hours, workplace safety, job security, and other working conditions

Discrimination

Unfair treatment that is based on prejudice rather than respect for equality and individual worth

Equality Rights

Rights that protect people from discrimination and ensure equal access to opportunity, as outlined in section 15 in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Equity

Justice and fairness

Freedoms

Rights that do not impose a duty on the government; for example, citizens can exercise freedom of religion or expression without a duty on the part of the government

Harassment

Unwelcome conduct (for example, of a sexual nature) repeatedly or directed toward a person

Human Rights

Absolute rights for all people everywhere; the rights you have simply because you are human

Legal Rights

Rights that ensure fair treatment by the justice system, such as the right not to be imprisoned without just cause, the right to legal counsel, and the right not to be subjected to cruel or unusual treatment or punishment. These rights are described in sections 7 -14 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Minority Language Education Rights

The right of minority anglophones and francophones to a public education in their own language, as outlined in section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Mobility Rights

The right to move around freely

Multiculturalism

A government policy that guarantees all relations in which nations consult and cooperate to address world problems

Official Language Acts

The federal law that made English and French Canada's two official languages and made the federal public service and judicial systems bilingual

Pluralism

A shared belief in mutual acceptance and respect for diverse ethnic, racial, religions, and social groups within society

Pluralistic Society

A society composed of people with different beliefs, cultures, and ethnic and racial backgrounds and in which these differences are formally recognized and respected

Privacy Rights

Rights that limit the ability of others to enter citizens' private spaces, seize property, or collect personal information

Reasonable Limits

Limits on rights and freedoms to which a reasonable person would agree, as stated in section 1 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Residential Schools

Schools run by the Canadian government in partnership with Christian churches, starting in the late 1800s, whose aim was to assimilate Aboriginal students into mainstream Canadian society

Rights

Claims to which all people are entitled by moral or ethical principles or by legal guarantees

Stereotype

A biased generalization about a type of person or group of persons

Systemic Racism

Racism directed against a group of people through an institution's rules and policies

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

The international document adopted by the UN in 1948 that proclaims basic human rights for all people. Even though it cannot be enforced, the UDHR firmly establishes the principle of human rights and has inspired other human rights agreements