Canada’s 800-year tradition of ordered liberty dates back to the signing of which document?
- Magna Carta
- The British North America Act
- The Quebec Act
- The Royal Proclamation of 1763
Answer: Magna Carta
The tradition of ordered liberty dates back to Magna Carta, also called the Great Charter of Freedoms. It was signed in England in 1215. Sources of Canadian law such as English common law, the civil code of France and the unwritten constitution from Great Britain together secure this tradition for Canadians.
Learn more: Where rights and laws come from
- Rights and responsibilities come from Canada’s history, are secured by Canadian law and reflect shared traditions, identity and values.
- Sources of Canadian law: laws passed by Parliament and the provincial legislatures, English common law, the civil code of France, and the unwritten constitution inherited from Great Britain.
- Magna Carta was signed in England in 1215. It is also called the Great Charter of Freedoms.
- Canada’s tradition of ordered liberty is about 800 years old and dates back to Magna Carta.
- Habeas corpus, the right to challenge unlawful detention by the state, comes from English common law.