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Section 20 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

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remarked that the limited rights in section 20 seemed to contrast with section 16, which encourages growth in government bilingualism. However, she speculated Parliament could use section 16 to heighten expectations for bilingualism in section 20, by giving the requirement for considerable interest
490:
violated section 20 by providing English-only services, (1) by simply presuming there was no need for French services, (2) because there were penal consequences for anyone who disobeyed the law not provided in French, and (3) even though some French Canadians understood English, French was still
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of these offices on the federal level. Section 20 limits its rights only when dealing with the lower-level offices, where there must be considerable interest for services in both languages, or if the offices are filling a function that one would expect should be carried out in both languages.
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20.(1) Any member of the public in Canada has the right to communicate with, and to receive available services from, any head or central office of an institution of the Parliament or government of Canada in English or French, and has the same right with respect to any other office of any such
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R. v. Bastarache (1992), 128 N.B.R. (2d) 217 (N.B.Q.B.)., Gautreau v. R., (1989), 101 N.B.R. (2d) 1 (N.B.Q.B.), Gingras v. Canada, 2 F.C. 68 (F.C.T.D.). The fact that not all police officers need to be bilingual was established in R. v. Haché, (1992), 127 N.B.R. (2d) 177
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Paul M. Sniderman, Joseph F. Fletcher, Peter H. Russell and Philip E. Tetlock, "Political Culture and the Problem of Double Standards: Mass and Elite Attitudes toward Language Rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,"
404:(2) Any member of the public in New Brunswick has the right to communicate with, and to receive available services from, any office of an institution of the legislature or government of New Brunswick in English or French. 438: 434: 449:. As far as the text is concerned, these rights are even more extensive in respect to the government of New Brunswick, where there are no requirements for considerable interest for the right to exist. 357: 178: 290: 278: 274: 262: 258: 254: 250: 246: 242: 238: 226: 214: 202: 198: 190: 186: 182: 174: 162: 150: 146: 142: 138: 134: 130: 126: 122: 110: 98: 94: 90: 78: 66: 54: 499:
community, interest among the population, and relations between the people and the government. Statistics and the practices of the office might be of use in measuring these things.
526:. Ninety-seven percent of English Canadians support the right for English Quebeckers, and 65% of English Canadians supported the rights of French Canadians under section 20. 470: 655: 314: 400:(b) due to the nature of the office, it is reasonable that communications with and services from that office be available in both English and French. 332: 33: 456:
notes, other provinces are not required to provide bilingual services under section 20, but some choose to do so under provincial legislation.
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in bilingualism a flexible interpretation. Wilson did, however, write that courts could not employ this flexible interpretation.
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Section 20 applies to services from offices of Parliament and the government of Canada, including government departments and the
660: 307: 17: 374:. Section 20's specific function is to establish a right to English and French services from the governments of Canada and 360:, section 20 is one of the few sections under the title "Official Languages of Canada" that guarantees bilingualism outside 675: 670: 422: 506:, (1993), it was found the government is not under any obligation to tell people that they have rights under section 20. 487: 523: 514:
In 1989, a few political scientists published a survey on the public's opinion on section 20. It indicated that
425:, although not all police officers need to be bilingual. The section's requirements are fully applicable to the 300: 495:(1993), it was added that relevant factors for requiring bilingualism should include the number of people in a 395:(a) there is a significant demand for communications with and services from that office in such language; or 465: 370: 365: 337: 46: 361: 496: 433:
As section 20 applies to offices besides Parliament and the courts, it is more extensive than
345: 349: 515: 353: 649: 475: 375: 642:- Charter of Rights website with video, audio and the Charter in over 20 languages 546:
2003 Student Ed. Scarborough, Ontario: Thomson Canada Limited, 2003, page 1151.
414: 453: 639: 634:
Overview of section 20 case law at the Canadian Legal Information Institute
633: 417:. According to some judicial decisions, it also applies to services from 27:
Constitutional right to receive government services in English or French
519: 418: 341: 368:. This also makes it more extensive than language rights in the 482:
The requirement for considerable interest was interpreted in
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Section Twenty of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
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Professional Institute of the Public Service v. The Queen
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Professional Institute of the Public Service v. The Queen
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Fundamental Freedoms: The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
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and in almost equal measure support the same rights for
388: 471:Société des Acadiens v. Association of Parents 308: 8: 582:, (1989), 90 N.S.R. (2d) 77 (N.S. Cty. Ct.), 620:, vol. 22, no. 2. (June 1989), pp. 266-267 566: 564: 562: 445:and language rights in section 133 of the 315: 301: 29: 518:strongly support French services outside 486:, (1989), in which it was found that the 656:Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 606:, (1993) 139 N.B.R. (2d) 81 (N.B.C.A.). 535: 333:Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 284: 268: 232: 220: 208: 168: 156: 116: 104: 84: 72: 60: 32: 618:Canadian Journal of Political Science 7: 594:(1993), 60 F.T.R. 194 (F.C.T.D.)., 209:Minority Language Education Rights 25: 61:Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms 336:is one of the sections of the 1: 544:Constitutional Law of Canada. 423:Royal Canadian Mounted Police 169:Official Languages of Canada 681:Government of New Brunswick 697: 491:their first language. In 452:As constitutional scholar 666:Language policy in Canada 488:Department of Fisheries 466:Supreme Court of Canada 460:Judicial interpretation 661:Bilingualism in Canada 447:Constitution Act, 1867 409:Rights and limitations 406: 371:Constitution Act, 1867 338:Constitution of Canada 47:Constitution Act, 1982 37:of Rights and Freedoms 580:Saulnier v. The Queen 484:Saulnier v. The Queen 676:Government of Canada 671:Language legislation 421:departments and the 73:Fundamental Freedoms 364:, legislatures and 391:institution where 386:Section 20 reads: 346:official languages 497:minority language 325: 324: 85:Democratic Rights 16:(Redirected from 688: 621: 613: 607: 601: 595: 589: 583: 577: 571: 570:Hogg, page 1153. 568: 557: 553: 547: 542:Hogg, Peter W. 540: 516:French Canadians 474:(1986), Justice 317: 310: 303: 35:Canadian Charter 30: 21: 696: 695: 691: 690: 689: 687: 686: 685: 646: 645: 630: 625: 624: 614: 610: 602: 598: 590: 586: 578: 574: 569: 560: 554: 550: 541: 537: 532: 512: 462: 411: 384: 321: 157:Equality Rights 105:Mobility Rights 36: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 694: 692: 684: 683: 678: 673: 668: 663: 658: 648: 647: 644: 643: 637: 629: 628:External links 626: 623: 622: 608: 596: 584: 572: 558: 548: 534: 533: 531: 528: 524:English Quebec 511: 508: 461: 458: 410: 407: 402: 401: 397: 396: 383: 380: 356:. Along with 323: 322: 320: 319: 312: 305: 297: 294: 293: 287: 286: 282: 281: 271: 270: 266: 265: 235: 234: 230: 229: 223: 222: 218: 217: 211: 210: 206: 205: 171: 170: 166: 165: 159: 158: 154: 153: 119: 118: 114: 113: 107: 106: 102: 101: 87: 86: 82: 81: 75: 74: 70: 69: 63: 62: 58: 57: 51: 50: 41: 40: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 693: 682: 679: 677: 674: 672: 669: 667: 664: 662: 659: 657: 654: 653: 651: 641: 638: 635: 632: 631: 627: 619: 612: 609: 605: 600: 597: 593: 588: 585: 581: 576: 573: 567: 565: 563: 559: 552: 549: 545: 539: 536: 529: 527: 525: 521: 517: 509: 507: 505: 500: 498: 494: 489: 485: 480: 477: 476:Bertha Wilson 473: 472: 467: 459: 457: 455: 450: 448: 444: 440: 436: 431: 428: 424: 420: 416: 408: 405: 399: 398: 394: 393: 392: 387: 381: 379: 377: 376:New Brunswick 373: 372: 367: 363: 359: 355: 351: 347: 343: 340:dealing with 339: 335: 334: 329: 318: 313: 311: 306: 304: 299: 298: 296: 295: 292: 289: 288: 283: 280: 276: 273: 272: 267: 264: 260: 256: 252: 248: 244: 240: 237: 236: 231: 228: 225: 224: 219: 216: 213: 212: 207: 204: 200: 196: 192: 188: 184: 180: 176: 173: 172: 167: 164: 161: 160: 155: 152: 148: 144: 140: 136: 132: 128: 124: 121: 120: 115: 112: 109: 108: 103: 100: 96: 92: 89: 88: 83: 80: 77: 76: 71: 68: 65: 64: 59: 56: 53: 52: 49: 48: 43: 42: 39: 38: 31: 19: 617: 611: 603: 599: 591: 587: 579: 575: 551: 543: 538: 513: 510:Public views 503: 501: 492: 483: 481: 469: 463: 451: 446: 442: 432: 426: 412: 403: 389: 385: 369: 331: 327: 326: 194: 117:Legal Rights 45: 44:Part of the 34: 604:R. v. Haché 556:(N.B.Q.B.). 504:R. v. Haché 435:sections 17 415:bureaucracy 269:Application 221:Enforcement 650:Categories 530:References 454:Peter Hogg 362:Parliament 358:section 16 328:Section 20 285:Citation 55:Preamble 464:In the 443:Charter 441:of the 350:English 344:'s two 330:of the 233:General 520:Quebec 419:police 366:courts 354:French 342:Canada 468:case 427:main 382:Text 352:and 179:16.1 502:In 652:: 561:^ 439:22 378:. 348:, 291:34 279:33 277:, 275:32 263:31 261:, 259:30 257:, 255:29 253:, 251:28 249:, 247:27 245:, 243:26 241:, 239:25 227:24 215:23 203:22 201:, 199:21 197:, 195:20 193:, 191:19 189:, 187:18 185:, 183:17 181:, 177:, 175:16 163:15 151:14 149:, 147:13 145:, 143:12 141:, 139:11 137:, 135:10 133:, 129:, 125:, 97:, 93:, 636:. 437:- 316:e 309:t 302:v 131:9 127:8 123:7 111:6 99:5 95:4 91:3 79:2 67:1 20:)

Index

Section Twenty of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms

Constitution Act, 1982
Preamble
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
16.1
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

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