Milestones of Democracy and Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Because of the atrocities of WW II the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 as to prevent such a recurrence. The document states, “human being are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Individual rights are set in to six areas:

• Political rights
• Civil rights
• Equality rights
• Economic rights
• Social rights
• Cultural rights

It sets a standard that hopefully one day all nations will adopt to better the lives of their citizens. I’m proud to know that it has served as a model for similar documents such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

 

In 1982 Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau signed the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, committing it to Canada. The purpose of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was to focus on evolving human rights and freedoms for Canadians and pledging to keep them protected. Here are the rights and freedoms listed below. 

•  Fundamental freedoms
• Democratic rights
• Mobility rights
• Legal rights
• Equality rights
• Language rights
• Minority rights

The Charter also states “such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” As a hole I believe the Charter is a huge advancement for human rights and as a Canadian citizen it makes me proud that this is what Canada’s standards are. I’m proud that we are one of the few countries that fully support same-sex marriage and recognize that every human should be treated equally and have the same rights. Sure Canada isn’t perfect but we are on the right path and hopefully by leading by example other counties will follow our standards for equally.