Today In History: Canada Act

O, Canada!

An Act to Give Effect to a Request by the Senate and House of Commons of Canada.

Signed by Queen Elizabeth II in Ottawa on April 17th, 1982, the Canada Act formed part of the Constitution of Canada in seven parts, including the Charter of Canadian Rights and Freedoms (of conscience, religion, thought, belief, opinion, and expression). On March 8th, 1982 the British House of Commons had passed the Act which was then adopted by the British House of Lords on March 25th.  Legislative jurisdiction by Britain over Canada formally ended, with Canada taking control of its own laws, despite being a constitutional monarchy and part of the British Commonwealth. The Act also recognized Aboriginal and treaty rights, with indigenous people living predominantly in Nunavat, the Northwest Territories, Ontario, and the Western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Empire to Commonwealth: Britain's Fateful Experiment. (1956, Jun 04). Newsweek, 47, 39-40, 43-44. 
• Queen Signs Bill on Hill.  (1982, Mar 26). Calgary Herald (1939-) 
• Disher, S. (1982, Mar 30). Quebec Plans Counter-Events During Queen's Ottawa Visit. The Globe and Mail (1936-) 
• The Queen Arrives to Give Canada Its New Constitution. (1982, Apr 16). Democrat and Chronicle (1884-) 
• Text of the Constitutional  Resolution That Today Becomes the Law of the Land. (1982, Apr 17). Windsor Star (1959-) 
• The Constitution Comes Home: Constitution Act Just Tip of Constitutional Iceberg. (1982, Apr 17). The Citizen (1973-1986) 
• The Proclamation. (1982, Apr 19). The Leader Post (1930-) 
• Our Constitutional Documents. (1999, Apr 17). The Ottawa Citizen (1986-) Retrieved from 
• Canadian Charter Turns 30. (2012, Apr 17). The Leader Post (1930-) 
• Queen Elizabeth II. (2022, Sep 17). National Post (2011-) 

Tips:

• Buckner, Phillip A. Canada and the End of Empire. 1st ed., UBC Press, 2005. e-book.
• Jackson, D. Michael, et al. Canada and the Crown : Essays on Constitutional Monarchy. Edited by D. Michael Jackson and Philippe Lagassé, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, 2014. e-book.
• Maclennan, Christopher. Toward the Charter : Canadians and the Demand for a National Bill of Rights, 1929-1960. 1st ed., McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2003. e-book.
• McCreery, Christopher. The Order of Canada : Its Origins, History, and Development. 2nd ed., University of Toronto Press, 2006. e-book.
• Russell, Peter H, et al. Federalism and the Charter : Leading Constitutional Decisions. New edition, Carleton University Press, 1989. e-book.

Images:

• Geopolitical Map of Canada, 2006.,Wikimedia Commons.
• Poster Image: Canadian Flag, Canva.