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Digital Proceedings and Publications From
The Charter at Forty
From Isolation to Inclusion:
​Navigating the Post-COVID World
In November 2021, Canadians for a Civil Society, in partnership with the University of Alberta’s Department of Political Science (Faculty of Arts), the Canada Research Chair in the Politics of Citizenship and Human Rights, and the Centre for Constitutional Studies jointly convened a national, online conference. The conference brought together academics, policy professionals, artists and community members to explore the legacy of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The conference included keynote lectures by The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin (The Hurtig Lecture) and by Robyn Maynard (The University of Alberta Lectureship in Human Rights), as well as three full days of academic panels and two art-based workshops.

This website, once the home for conference schedules and registration information, has shifted to reporting on what took place at the conference and sharing the various outputs and publications that resulted from the conference. We encourage you to scroll through the website to check out videos, graphic recordings and other resources that constitute the conference proceedings. You can navigate through the website pages via the tabs above (note that there are several additional pages under the More+ tab) or you can directly navigate to some of the conference outputs by clicking on the buttons below.
The Conference Vision

The conference theme, titled above, seeks to explore Canada’s experiences in societal development over the past four decades, flowing from the 1982 Canada Act and its axial legislation, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

We begin with the premise that the Canadian experience might offer lessons for other countries, and indeed for collective multilateral action on the world stage, in finding a viable future for humankind in the aftermath of the COVID-19 plague, and its consequences.

We envision a public conference which uniquely brings together scholars, practitioners and community groups to understand and assess the role played by the Charter in contributing to Canadian citizenship through individual and collective rights – and to better understand the Canadian contribution to answering Nelson Mandela’s call for a new political culture, to make human rights a way of life.

We will examine the key elements of a civil society – including but not limited to human rights, literacy, rule of law, meaningful economic opportunity, and mutual respect – that encourages collaboration, co-operation, and co-existence, within and among nations.

We aim to explore the opportunities and challenges that emerge from consideration of Canada's (ongoing) engagement with four distinctive, though not mutually exclusive, generations of human rights: 1) first generation rights (civil and political rights); 2) second generation rights (social and economic rights); 3) third generation rights (cohesive cultural rights, including rights of Indigenous Peoples); and 4) fourth generation rights (rights pertaining to the environment). Together, these are the essential elements of social justice and a culture of peace; nestled in the framework of human rights as a way of life.

Another key consideration is ecological and environmental justice, as the COVID pandemic compels us to completely re-examine our mutual existence on the planet.

A central theme of the conference will be an exploration of an emerging Canadian understanding that we all are people of treaty, able to share this land because of 19 th century agreements between First Nations and the Crown. Indeed, this central theme of reconciliation will permeate our reflections on sharing the planet in a post-COVID world.

As tangible outcomes, we foresee multiple materials that reflect on the knowledges and experiences of civil society organizations, practitioners and scholars (including an academic book, digital recordings, policy briefs, and similar). These materials will enhance the understanding, thinking and work of educators, researchers, policy-makers, and legislators, in the years to come.

This conference and the anticipated outcomes builds on the success of Canadians for a Civil Society in convening three conferences on the theme of Building Empathy, Conquering Apathy , and the longstanding record of the University of Alberta as one of Canada’s leading research universities committed to the public good.
The University of Alberta respectfully acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples including the Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/ Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, Inuit, and many others whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our vibrant community.
Our Conference Partners
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