Poet Rangalal Bandopadhyay wrote-
Who wants to live in poverty, hey, who wants to live?
Slavery-chains say, who wears it, who wears it.
Humans, by nature, naturally want to be free. Born Ripur chases, wants to be active. Samahin wants to fulfill his desires. Wants to curb biological hunger. This desire of people is infinite, immeasurable. The uncontrollable desires of man and the resulting violence, violence, violence, brutality remind us of the medieval life style of man. From the barbaric, brutish way of life of the Middle Ages, people managed to come out of their own needs, efforts and intelligence to build a structure of civilized human life. As the field of human intellectual pursuit widens, man turns his will power into a driving force, reaching dreams one by one. People are getting used to better and better life. Through the development and application of his knowledge and wisdom, man has built a modern society and world system in a healthy supportive and cooperative atmosphere by controlling the animality within himself in the combination of conscience and humanity.
As the saying goes, Rome was not built in a day – which means, no great creation was made in a day. Human civilization did not achieve this excellence overnight. This achievement has come through the indomitable will of people, the thinking of the better, the gradual development of knowledge and science, the rigorous and sharp judgment and testing of evolution.
As people have progressed in education and science, they have become more aware and vocal in protecting their rights. What is that right? The universal, inherent and essential and inviolable right of man to lead a free and orderly life is the human right which is the most and universally discussed term as human right. Human rights are recognized as the innate and inalienable and indeed given rights of people in the world today and they are upheld at the highest level constitutionally in the country. Human rights are fundamental human rights which apply equally to all irrespective of caste, religion, caste, language, tribe, gender. Like the legendary anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa, “To deny people there human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” According to the Dalai Lama, “Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed and where individuals and nations are free.” Human rights are basically the right to live, the right to be free, the right to free expression, the right to education, the right to work, etc. All have equal rights without discrimination.
Now let’s shed light on the rights and freedoms of Canadian citizens. Before that, do not know a little about the relationship between civil rights and human rights. Citizenship rights are the rights that one is entitled to enjoy by virtue of being a citizen of a country. States constitutionally enshrine civil rights to ensure non-discriminatory enjoyment, protect them and protect them through state laws. The civil rights provided by any state are highly dependent on the state system, government system, political, social and economic conditions and management of that country. As a result of the overall variation, there may be qualitative and quantitative differences in the enforcement and protection of civil rights from state to state.
On the other hand, fundamental human rights are those rights that a human being is entitled to simply by being born a human being. In the post-war period, in the context of the overall horrors of World War II, especially the brutality of Nazi forces, the first United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 universally upholds and protects basic human rights under international law. Among the universal human rights declared by the United Nations, the right to life, the right to food, the right to education and health, the right to express opinions, etc., are significant, in view of which the member states are bound by the obligation to uphold it within the framework of constitutional protection within their political and state structures. However, in practice the implementation of its enforcement rights is not observed equally in all states. No state can deprive a citizen of universally recognized and equitable human rights. Yet many states deny their citizens various civil and human rights or do not take adequate constitutional and legal measures to protect them. Human rights become civil rights only when the state constitutionally recognizes them under the highest legal framework.
Canada is a country dominated by immigrants. Although English and French are recognized as the official languages of this country, there are more than two hundred speakers living in this country. Canada is a country of a unique and wonderful combination of many languages and cultures from different parts of the world. All of them have different social and cultural characteristics, political, economic nature and regional context. Canada’s uniform political and economic infrastructure and constitutional protection of civil rights have been instrumental in uniting this diverse population.
The human rights of every citizen in Canada are constitutionally preserved and protected in “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” – which enshrines the rights and freedoms that every citizen needs to live freely and independently in a democratic society and state. The Charter is an integral part of the Constitution of Canada which was incorporated as a Constitutional Act in 1982. The signing day of this charter is celebrated on 17th April every year. However, before the Charter came into force in Canada, the rights and liberties of citizens were protected by various Canadian laws. Such as the Canadian Bill of Rights which Parliament passed into law in 1960 although the Bill of Rights is not part of the Canadian Constitution. The Constitution is the supreme law of Canada to which any other laws made must be consistent. In the three tier system of government i.e. central, provincial and local government, if any law is made in conflict with the constitutional law, then the constitution will prevail. However, constitutionally granted rights are never absolute. The limits of the realization of one’s own rights are extended to that extent which, if crossed, violates the rights of others. For example, freedom of speech or expression is acceptable as long as it does not spread hatred or malice, interfere with or violate the fundamental rights of others.
Although “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” was signed and entered into force on April 17, 1982, Section 15 was implemented three years later to commit the government to ensure equal rights through coordination with all its laws.
As citizens, everyone has a role to play in building a healthy, beautiful, supportive and orderly society and nation. Just as a citizen has civil rights, basic human rights, the citizen also has the duty of responsibility. Recalling that, Section 1 of the Charter states that rights are limited by law to such extent as is considered reasonable in a free and democratic society.
The rights apply to all persons residing in Canada, regardless of whether they are Citizens, Permanent Residents or New Comers, with few exceptions. Exceptions include the right to vote, the right to enter or leave Canada.
For decades, serving as a source of social change, progress and ensuring justice. The Charter embodies Canada’s heritage, culture and culture, and social values. For example language rights. As mentioned earlier, Canada is home to over two hundred speakers with full state support for the use and preservation of any language beyond English and French. The Rastra and the Samaj give all their support and patronage in the observance of their own ethnic cultural, social and religious rituals. In short, the Charter upholds and protects the fundamental human rights that have made Canada a progressive, modern, free and democratically strong nation. Nowadays, Canada is a dream land for people from all over the world to live in.
Laws are reflected in society. And the society and its transparency, discipline, mutual respect, different opinions, ideals, belief coexistence and better way of life is developed on the basis of the education system of that country based on physical and mental health, rule of law, healthy cultural practices, adherence to traditions and values etc. Certain responsibilities have to be fulfilled for the enjoyment or realization of civil rights or human rights. As such, every citizen of Canada enjoys the prior freedom to express his or her own opinions, ideas and arguments through communication, or discussion, with the larger public.
Such activity or initiative is an expression of fundamental freedom. Any citizen can freely criticize the government’s policy activities and express their own opinions freely. But it is never the same as communicating to express an opinion or openly informing others and trying to influence, in which case the freedom of others may be undermined. Citizen awareness is essential in determining these boundaries.
In a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual country like Canada, which has developed a well-coordinated, beautiful mosaic of society, each citizen can easily and comfortably integrate into the mainstream while maintaining his or her individuality and embracing the country’s inherent values. The sooner he can become an ideal and proud Canadian citizen, the happier, more beautiful, and better this country will become.
Scarborough, Canada
