Constitution Act, 1982

Document Summary:
Part I: Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms: Section 1.
  
  
• Fundamental Freedoms: Section 2.
  
  
• Democratic Rights: Sections 3-5.
  
  
• Mobility Rights: Section 6.
  
  
• Legal Rights: Section 7-14.
  
  
• Equality rights: Section 15.
  
  
• Official Languages of Canada: Sections 16-22.
  
  
• Minority Language Educational Rights: Section 23.
  
  
• Enforcement?: Section 24.
  
  
• General: Sections 25-31.
  
  
• Application of Charter: Sections 32-33.
  
  • Section 33: This clause allows provincial legislatures to pass laws notwithstanding sections 2 and 7 to 15 of the Charter of Rights. Such laws stand for five years, when they must be renewed or lapse.
    
    
• Citation: Section 34.

Part II: Rights of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada

• Section 35.

Part III: Equalization and regional Disparities

• Section 36.

Part IV: Constitutional Conferences

• Section 37.

Part V: Procedure for Amending the Constitution of Canada

• Sections 38-49. Important sections include:
• Section 38: Changes can only be made with the agreement of Parliament and two-thirds of the provinces (i.e.: seven) composing fifty percent of the population of all provinces.
  
  
• Section 43: Allows amendments to Constitution that affect some provinces with the agreement of Parliament and the provincial legislatures of the provinces affected.
  

Part VI: Amendment to the Constitution Act, 1867 (previously British North America Act, 1867)

• Sections 50-51.

Part VII: General

• Sections 52-61

Schedule: Modernization of the Constitution.

• Renames various acts, most notably, the British North America Act, 1867.

Makes explicit reference to the prime minister of Canada. This is the first constitutional act to do so.