How Canadians Govern Themselves - Parlement du Canada

How Canadians Govern Themselvesbe so acquired, and to guarantee all therights equally to men and women.The amendment also provided thatthere would be no amendments tothe constitutional provisions relatingto Indians and Indian reserves, orthe aboriginal rights and freedomsguaranteed by the Canadian Charter ofRights and Freedoms, without discussionsat a conference of First Ministers withrepresentatives of the native peoples.The amendment came into force onJune 21, 1984.Finally, the Act provides for Englishand French versions of the whole writtenconstitution, from the Act of 1867 to theAct of 1982, which would make bothversions equally authoritative.The Constitution Act, 1982, also containsa section on equalization and regionaldisparities. This proclaims: (1) that thenational government and Parliamentand the provincial governments andlegislatures “are committed to promotingequal opportunities for the well-beingof Canadians, furthering economicdevelopment to reduce disparities inopportunities, and providing essentialpublic services of reasonable qualityto all Canadians”; and (2) that thegovernment and Parliament of Canada“are committed to the principle ofmaking equalization payments toensure that provincial governmentshave sufficient revenues to providereasonably comparable levels of publicservices at reasonably comparable levelsof taxation.”A Federal State20The 1982 Act also provides that theguarantees for the English and Frenchlanguages do not abrogate or derogatefrom any legal or customary rightor privilege enjoyed by any otherlanguage, and that the Charter shall beinterpreted “in a manner consistentwith the preservation and enhancementof the multicultural heritage of Canada.”