Chapter 3 of 12

Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

The rights Canadian law guarantees, where those rights come from, and the duties that come with them.

Canadian law comes from laws passed by Parliament and the provincial legislatures, English common law, the French civil code and the unwritten constitution inherited from Britain.
Magna Carta, sealed in England in 1215, is presented in the guide as an early step in an 800-year tradition of ordered liberty; it is also called the Great Charter of Freedoms.
Habeas corpus, the right to challenge an unlawful detention, comes from English common law.
The Constitution Act, 1982 made the Constitution a Canadian law and entrenched the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms within it.
The rule of law means that everyone, including governments and their officials, is subject to the law.

Freedom of conscience and religion.
Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of speech and of the press.
Freedom of peaceful assembly: the right to gather and demonstrate peacefully with others.
Freedom of association: the right to join and belong to groups of your choice and to act together with others.

Democratic rights include the right of citizens to vote in federal and provincial elections.
Mobility rights let Canadian citizens move to, live and work in any province or territory, and enter, remain in and leave Canada.
Legal rights include the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty and the right to a fair trial.
Equality rights protect against discrimination, and men and women are equal under Canadian law.
Official language rights give English and French equal status in Parliament and in the federal government, and minority language education rights are protected as well.
The Charter states that its guarantees must not be used to adversely affect the Aboriginal, treaty or other rights of Indigenous peoples.

Obey the law: citizens are expected to follow Canadian law, which applies to everyone.
Take responsibility for yourself and your family, working and caring for them according to your abilities.
Serve on a jury when called, which is a legal obligation as well as a responsibility of citizenship.
Vote in federal, provincial or territorial, and local elections.
Help others in the community, by volunteering, supporting a charity or helping newcomers settle.
Protect and enjoy Canada's natural, cultural and architectural heritage and its environment.

Canada has no compulsory military service.
The Canadian Forces include a regular force with a navy, an army and an air force, along with part-time reserve forces.
Other ways to serve the country include the Canadian Coast Guard, police services and fire services.
The Cadets give young people a chance to develop discipline, responsibility and practical skills.

Practices such as spousal abuse, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and so-called honour killings are crimes in Canada, and neither culture nor religion is an excuse for them.
The guide presents multiculturalism as a fundamental part of Canadian heritage and identity, alongside an expectation that everyone respects the law and shared values, including the equality of women and men.
Everyone in Canada is equal before the law: the same law applies to citizens, permanent residents, public officials and the police, and no one is above it.
Human rights laws also protect people from discrimination on grounds such as race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, marital status, family status and disability.