The Charter at Forty conference
SUMMARY
In November 2021, Canadians for a Civil Society collaborated with the University of Alberta’s Department of Political Science, the Canada Research Chair in the Politics of Citizenship and Human Rights, and the Centre for Constitutional Studies to organize a national online conference. This significant event brought together scholars, policy experts, artists, and community members to deeply examine the lasting impact of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Distinguished speakers included The Right Honorable Beverley McLachlin, who delivered The Hurtig Lecture, and Robyn Maynard, who presented The University of Alberta Lectureship in Human Rights. The conference spanned three full days of academic panels and included two art-based workshops, all aimed at comprehensively exploring various facets of the Charter’s enduring legacy. The event concluded with a collective commitment to fostering collaboration and pursuing concrete proposals for meaningful change, emphasizing a holistic approach to enduring societal transformation.
Welcome Remarks by Vasant Chotai
Vasant Chotai spoke on behalf of Canadians for the Civil Society, sharing thoughts on the five essential pillars of civil society: Respect, Human Rights, Rule of Law, Literacy, and Meaningful Economic Participation. He thanked the organizing committee, especially recognizing Mr. Gurcharan Bhatia and Dr. Yasmine Abulaban for their valuable contributions. Vasant also pledged to have more community-university partnerships in the future.
During the conference, scholars provided insightful perspectives on human rights, shedding light on colonization’s impact on Indigenous peoples and the environmental consequences of focusing solely on economic gain. He highlighted CCS workshops, where collaboration with community stakeholders addressed everyday challenges. This conference is timely amid economic disparities, pandemic-related health and livelihood crises, and decreasing confidence in democracy. Vasant stressed the importance of action, exploring solutions that affect basic rights through legislation, policy, practice, and public mindset, and countering the growing intolerance and disregard for human rights in today’s political climate.
Report from the Human Rights Action Lab
The Human Rights Action Lab’s “Prototypes for Action” report resulted from a collaborative effort led by Dr. Pieter De Vos. The two-day conference addressed actionable issues like poverty, racism, hate speech, and climate change through empathetic exercises, news article reviews, and discussions on social movements. The lab highlighted the importance of storytelling, contextualizing challenges, and empowering communities for sustainable change. The outcomes, including policy prototypes and advocacy recommendations, will be compiled into a comprehensive report for widespread distribution. Vasant praised the model and committed to personally engaging with related policies.
Community Presentations
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi’s presentation, “Can Compassionate & Collaborative Leadership Combat Racism?” focuses on addressing systemic issues, especially racism, through compassionate leadership. He highlights vulnerabilities exposed by COVID-19, such as homelessness, poverty, seniors’ care issues, and racism. Mayor Sohi shares personal insights, emphasizing the need for leaders to practice compassion, engage in uncomfortable conversations, identify discriminatory policies, and foster organizational culture change. He addresses racism in Edmonton, advocating for leading by example to build anti-racist organizations, re-evaluating priorities, acknowledging mistakes, and fostering allyship. Mayor Sohi underscores the systemic nature of racism and its intersectionality with issues like poverty and colonization, particularly affecting Indigenous communities. The presentation celebrates Edmonton’s inclusive political landscape and recent council motions for progress in anti-racism efforts.
Being & Belonging
In the presentation on “Being and Belonging,” with Satya Das as the presenter and moderated by Vasant Chotai of Canadians for a Civil Society, Satya Das delved into the concept of a human-centered digital economy. As the author of the latest book, “US,” he touched upon the immigrant experience and the evolving definition of being Canadian. Satya highlighted the impact of racism on Toronto in the past decade and underscored the beauty of the charter, emphasizing its role in expanding and fluidly defining Canadian identity. He noted that the journey of the charter is ongoing as Canadians continue to evolve in their sense of belonging and community with dignity. Discussing racism, Satya made a distinction, stating that “racism is not rooted in biology but in ideology.” The context of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique lens through which to perceive the pause and stillness of life. The presentation touched on the struggle of defining one’s identity and emphasized that dignity should not be commodified or sold. Overall, the talk aimed to explore the dynamics of belonging, identity, and dignity in a changing society and the challenges of racism and ideology.
Roundtable & Closing Remarks
The Roundtable and Closing Remarks featured presentations by Catherine Kellogg, Vasant Chotai, Nariya Khasanova, Amer Abuhamed, and Rebeca Macias Gimenez and concluding remarks from Yasmeen Abu-Laban. Catherine Kellogg posed insightful questions about surprising findings, while Amer Abuhamed emphasized the Charter’s relationship with policy and social movements. Vasant Chotai reflected on colonialism’s impact, highlighting challenges faced by non-profits. The key takeaway was recognizing the Charter as one tool among many, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach beyond legal frameworks to address complex social issues.