Published by Senator Claudette Tardif on 26 April 2007
Re: Charter has helped language minorities, April 24.
The 25th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has been celebrated with much fanfare through seminars and conferences as well as the publication of documents, texts and articles in newspapers across the country. It is clear that entrenching the Charter in the Canadian Constitution has had an impact on many people.
As I mentioned in a speech in the Senate on April 17, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has had a significant, tangible and very real impact on francophone minority communities. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Section 23 in particular, was a defining moment in the evolution of linguistic rights.
I was pleased to read the comments to that effect made by letter-writer Jean-Guy Rioux, president of the Federation des communautes francophones et acadiennes.
It is unfortunate that the Citizen's in-depth article ("Charting the impact of the Charter, April 15) failed to mention the impact of the Charter on the evolution of language rights. We cannot forget the impact that the Charter has had on official language minority communities.
We must not lose sight of the fact that the Charter has become one of the most important political and legal documents in our recent history, with a real and tangible effect on the daily lives of Canada's official language minority communities.
Claudette Tardif,
Ottawa
Deputy leader of the Opposition,
Senate of Canada