o equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. This section has been very influential in the advancement of such groups as the Indians. The Indian Act governs most of Indian lives, this act has been a means for the government to control Indian matters since 1876. In the past the Act has placed constraints on the rights of and lifestyles of the Indian people. For years the Indians could not leave the reserves, even temporarily without a pass. Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms helped to remove many of the discriminatory acts that were in the Indian Act.The last Section that I want to discuss is section 27. It states that the charter will be interpreted in a manner “Consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians” One example of how this section is influential in helping minority groups was in the “Keegstra Incident” James Keegstra was a teacher who taught his students many anti-Semitic theories. He was charged with promoting hatred contrary to criminal code. He challenged the criminal code on the basis that is violated his freedom of expression guaranteed in the Charter of rights and freedoms. The court refereed to section 27 when they rejected Keegstra’s argument, noting that promotion of hatred contradicts the principles, which recognize the dignity and worth of minorities. (Schneiderman: 1997) There are other sections of the Charter that are useful in protecting minority groups such as Section 3 that gives everyone the right to vote in an election and to be qualified for member of parliament. Chinese and Japanese Canadian were denied the right to vote until the 1940s, and native persons were not allowed to vote until1960. Section 6 gives every Canadian citizen the right to leave remain, and enter Canada. This offers protection against such act as the War measures Act that was invoked in WWII when Canada attempted to ...
