Our Rights and Freedoms: A Biography of Canada's Charter - Paperback

by Aaron Hughes (Author)

In Our Rights and Freedoms, Aaron W. Hughes recounts the complex and fascinating history of Canada's Charter, revealing how it has forever changed the political, legal, and social lives of Canadians. Written for a general audience, this biography looks at Canada's legal foundations prior to the Charter's enactment in 1982, examines the historical origins and language of the Charter, and traces its reception, interpretation, and influence over the ensuing decades, including its global influence as a model for emerging democracies. The story of the Charter's inspiration, creation, contestation, and adaptation recounts the narrative of a living text whose course has shaped and defined modern Canada, sometimes in unexpected ways. Informed by deep research and written with narrative flair, this book is the essential guide to understanding the document that defines what it means to be Canadian.

Author Biography

Aaron W. Hughes is a Canadian scholar of Religion at the University of Rochester where he is the Dean's Professor of the Humanities, in addition to being the Philip S. Bernstein Professor of Religious Studies. He has written dozens of scholarly books on religion and on Canada. His popular trade titles include 10 Days That Shaped Modern Canada and Our Rights and Freedoms: A Biography of Canada's Charter.