Charter of Rights no protection for the vulnerable

The peculiarly moral nature of human rights can make it difficult to analyse the way a law enumerating those rights, a charter of rights, would operate in practice.

Supporters and opponents often talk in sweeping generalities about the value of minorities, the need to care for those who slip through the cracks, and increasing government accountability. Yet it is critical that the government take an evidence-based approach to the question, to the extent possible.

To wade through the rhetoric and research the practical operation of a charter is difficult, especially when the government has not yet indicated its intention to introduce a charter and has offered no particular charter model. There are, however, some good indications of what might happen if the government does propose a charter of the kind recommended late last year by the National Human Rights Consultation.