OTTAWA – While one-third of Canadians say they have read the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, many fail to distinguish between its text and that of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, a new sur...
Edit: to clarify, we DO have the right against self-incrimination and being compelled to take the stand but we don’t have Amendment rights—we have the Charter 'n shit
I still have trouble accepting either of these beliefs are commonplace among Canadians. My late-20th century education only briefly touched on the Charter but it seems common sense that stuff from US TV wouldn’t apply to us.
The odd times I’ve had questions about various areas of law or governance, I always have to spend time looking them up. (Seems to me people in the US should still research these things though. It’s not like TV/movies are accurate, complete, and up-to-date.)
And, what’s worse, the ubiquity of US media has many Canadians confused about which legal documents are even Canadian and thus apply to them.
—WAYYYY too fucking many idiot fellow Canadianz
Edit: to clarify, we DO have the right against self-incrimination and being compelled to take the stand but we don’t have Amendment rights—we have the Charter 'n shit
I can forgive Canadians for thinking they have the 5th amendment, because we still have some legal structures which are at least similar.
Canadians who think they have some specially engrained fundamental right to own firearms on the other hand… Like… What?
I still have trouble accepting either of these beliefs are commonplace among Canadians. My late-20th century education only briefly touched on the Charter but it seems common sense that stuff from US TV wouldn’t apply to us.
The odd times I’ve had questions about various areas of law or governance, I always have to spend time looking them up. (Seems to me people in the US should still research these things though. It’s not like TV/movies are accurate, complete, and up-to-date.)
I guess I don’t know if I’d say my experience is that it’s “commonplace”, but that it’s “surprisingly common”.
Common sense is misnamed, though—it’s among the rarest qualities for anyone to have, alas.