The Rhetoric of Rights: The Supreme Court and the Charter

The Supreme Court of Canada\u27s initial interpretations of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms were as broad and liberal as could possibly have been expected. Invoking the metaphor of the constitution as a living tree and dismissing concerns about the legitimacy of its expanded role, the Court upheld the Charter arguments in the majority of the cases it decided during this first period. Even in those cases where the claim was denied, the Court made it clear that the Charter was to be taken very seriously. No one could mistake the Court\u27s message: the Charter was to be liberally interpreted and enthusiastically applied