Rights and Responsibilities

In Canada, rights come with responsibilities. **Rights of Canadian citizens** Canadian citizens have rights that are protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including: • Freedom of conscience and religion • Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press • Freedom of peaceful assembly • Freedom of association • The right to vote and stand for elected office • The right to live and work anywhere in Canada • The right to a Canadian passport • The right to enter and leave Canada freely **Responsibilities of Canadian citizens** • **Obeying the law** — One of Canada's founding principles is the rule of law. No person or group is above the law. • **Taking responsibility for oneself and one's family** — Getting a job, caring for family, and working hard are important Canadian values. • **Serving on a jury** — When called to do so, you are legally required to serve. Jury service makes the justice system work. • **Voting in elections** — The right to vote comes with a responsibility to vote in federal, provincial or territorial and local elections. • **Helping others in the community** — Millions of volunteers contribute to the quality of life in their communities. • **Protecting and enjoying our heritage and environment** — Every generation must preserve Canada's heritage for the next. **The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms** The Charter is part of Canada's Constitution and protects the fundamental rights and freedoms of everyone in Canada. It was adopted in 1982. The Charter begins: "The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society." Key rights in the Charter include: • **Mobility rights** — Canadians can live and work anywhere in Canada and enter and leave the country freely. • **Aboriginal peoples' rights** — The Charter will not adversely affect any treaty or rights of Aboriginal peoples. • **Official language rights** — French and English have equal status in Parliament and throughout the government. • **Multiculturalism** — A fundamental characteristic of Canadian heritage and identity. **Equality of men and women** Men and women are equal under the law. Canada's openness and generosity do not extend to practices that violate the rights of women or girls. Forced marriage, violence against women, and other gender-based discrimination are unacceptable. **Aboriginal peoples' rights** The rights of Aboriginal peoples — First Nations, Inuit and Métis — are recognized and affirmed in Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. These include treaty rights and Aboriginal rights that predate Canadian Confederation.