As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Harper government insists on casting the Canadian Bill of Rights as not only the catalyst for the Charter, but indeed itself as a great instrument of rights protection. This is to misstate history, to minimize the importance of Charter, and to marginalize the revolutionary impact that this document has had not only on our laws, but on our lives.

It was Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, with his 1960 Bill of Rights, who took the first important step to enshrine Canadians' rights in law. If Pierre Trudeau's Charter of Rights is to truly unite Canadians, then it must protect the rights of all Canadians, not just the favoured causes of the left. Until it does, one should not be surprised that some, like Stephen Harper, do not put it up on a pedestal.

The Charter's anniversary was merely an occasion for a snarky round of I-told-you-sos. As is too often the case in Canada, however, it seems this particular milestone of our heritage is one more weapon with which to fight the shallow battles of the present.

When the Canadian Charter of Right and Freedoms became the law in 1982, little did we know what a handy teaching tool it would become. Not many children have been introduced to the Charter, but most of them understand questions about freedom and fairness. How can a limit to freedom be reasonable?

Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. To the innocent ear, this United Nations commemoration may sound sterile, even awkward. But under this clunky nomenclature lies a history that resonates meaningfully as Canadians celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms this month.