This should not come as a surprise to any Canadian that the Conservative government wants nothing to do with the celebrations in Ottawa to mark the 25th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Conservatives have already publicly stated that if they obtain a majority government, they will effectively rid Canada of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – as well the separation between Church and State that exists in our country (couldn’t do that with a Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms) -. I happened upon this story in the National Post.

OTTAWA – The Harper government is giving a miss to a major Ottawa conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Charter of Rights, with the prime minister and three cabinet ministers turning down invitations to speak.

In fact, the milestone anniversary will be a muted affair within the government ranks, unlike the hoopla surrounding the 20th anniversary when the Liberals were in power five years ago.

Former prime minister Jean Chretien, who was justice minister in the Trudeau cabinet when the charter was adopted, is addressing audiences in Montreal and Ottawa.

The current Liberal leader, Stephane Dion, who initially turned down an invitation to speak at the University of Ottawa conference, has had a change of heart, said Jack Jedwab, one of the conference organizers.

Jedwab said Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, Heritage Minister Bev Oda and former justice minister Vic Toews were also invited to address the April 16-17 event, but they declined.

Sandra Buckler, Harper’s communications director, and Genevieve Breton, Nicholson’s spokeswoman, said in e-mails both men had scheduling difficulties that precluded them from attending.

The Justice Department, however, has contributed $120,000 to conferences about the charter anniversary, including $20,000 for the University of Ottawa gathering, said department spokesman Patrick Charette.

Bruce Ryder, a law professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, said declining invitations to speak is a “symbolic” move from a government that he said has never championed the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“It says something about the priorities of the government,” he said. “Since the government has not shown a commitment to charter rights and making them accessible to Canadians, it’s disappointing to see their failure to use the anniversary as an opportunity to affirm the importance of charter rights.”

Last fall, the government cancelled the Charter Challenges Program, which helped interest groups to challenge federal laws on equality grounds.

The $2.8-million-a-year program handed out funding for hundreds of court battles over the years claiming rights such as gay marriage, prisoner voting, and a Criminal Code prohibition on spanking children.

Neither Harper’s nor Nicholson’s spokespersons would confirm whether the prime minister or the justice minister would be addressing charter events outside Ottawa.

Jedwab said the conference, despite perceptions in some quarters, is not meant to be a “rah-rah” event celebrating the charter, but a reflection on the good and the bad.

While he produced a letter confirming Harper was invited last Nov. 15 to be a keynote speaker, Buckler said her boss was only asked to attend a $150-per-person dinner featuring Chretien.

Christopher Manfredi, a political scientist at McGill University in Montreal, cautioned against reading too much into the Harper government giving the Ottawa conference a pass. Manfredi noted Ian Brodie, Harper’s chief of staff, addressed a Montreal conference in February marking the 25th anniversary.

The 1982 Charter of Rights codified rights for Canadians, such as freedom of religion, expression, and association, the legal right to life, liberty and security of the person, and the right against unreasonable search and seizure. Equality guarantees, including freedom from discrimination based on age, sex, race, or disability, came into effect in 1985.

Five years ago, the 20th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms erupted into a political battle when the opposition, including what was then the Canadian Alliance party, argued the rights revolution had gone too far.

“Canadians have often disagreed with some of the changes the charter has affected in our society as a result of certain court decisions,” Toews, who was the Alliance justice critic, said at the time.

On the same day, Chretien led a special tribute at the National Arts Centre in which he lauded the charter as the most profoundly democratic document in our history.

CanWest News Service

© CanWest News Service 2007

Actions will always speak louder than words. The Right-wing Evangelical Christian Conservatives are not a party that belongs in Canada.